Five Bay Area Players to Watch in the NFL Combine

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November 28, 2015; Stanford, CA, USA; Stanford Cardinal tight end Austin Hooper (18) catches a pass for a touchdown against Notre Dame Fighting Irish during the second half at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports /

Austin Hooper, Stanford TE

Junior, 6’4″, 248 lbs.

Hooper is entering the draft after playing only two seasons for Stanford and redshirting his freshman year, but he made a quick impression on the field. In 24 games with the Cardinal, he caught 74 passes for 937 yards, including eight touchdowns.

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In 2015, Hooper was the First-Team All-Pac-12 tight end and was a finalist for the Mackey Award, given to the nation’s top tight end. He enters the Combine as one of the top tight end prospects in the country in what is generally considered to be a pretty weak tight end class.

Hooper is a strong receiver with good hands, but is also a solid run blocker as well. He played a part in McCaffrey’s record-breaking year, setting edges to allow McCaffrey to get up field. Hooper is also an effective receiver on third downs and in the red-zone, which is exactly what a team should want from a tight end. In 2015, he caught seven passes on third down that resulted in first downs, and made 10 catches in the redzone.

Arkansas’ tight end Hunter Henry is the only tight end in this class considered to be a first-rounder, but Hooper isn’t too far behind him on the charts. With a good Combine, Hooper could make himself into an early second day draft pick.

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