The Cleveland Brown made an important addition to their offense by adding Austin Hooper to their receiver corps. Analysts and fans who religiously follow Browns football know that this move is a boon for a team that is desperate to get things back on the right track this season.
While fans are aware that Austin Hooper is a talented tight end who will be a favorite target by Baker Mayfield, not a lot of fans are completely aware of what the tight end has to offer.
Here are three things about Austin Hooper that you should know.
Hooper is coming off a career season
The Browns picked Hooper off the Atlanta Falcons at just the right time. The man came off one of the best statistical years of his still-young career, and the projection of his production is on an upward trend. This means nothing but good news for the Browns.
During the 2019 season, Hooper only played 10 games. However, he still finished with a solid 787 receiving yards, six touchdowns, and 41 first downs, all career highs in his four years in the NFL. It's not difficult to imagine that he'll be able to keep those numbers up with Mayfield in the pocket.
Hooper was a two-way recruit before committing to Stanford
Hooper is such an outstanding talent that there were multiple schools that vied for his signature before 2013. Contrary to his recent reputation as a receiver, Hooper was first recruited as a defensive talent for multiple colleges. In fact, he chose Stanford because they were the only interested party who wanted him as a tight end.
Per Heavy.com's Brendan Marrow, he's proud that he developed as an offensive talent with Stanford. It's not far-off to say that he wouldn't be a productive player if it wasn't for Stanford.
The fact that he has a defensive background also means that he can provide Mayfield some block coverage against pass-rushers. As a quarterback that spends quite a lot of time inside the pocket, having Hooper as a tight end is a blessing.
He is the most expensive TE in the NFL
Hooper's contract is easily the most lucrative TE contract in the history of the NFL, and fans are already anxious to find out if his talent will match to the big payday the Browns promised him.
Cleveland tied him down to a four-year, $42 million contract. This means that he should be hitting his peak by the time his contract is fully finished.
Fans may be anxious about getting excited for Hooper as they've gone to this rodeo before. However, they will be hopeful that he proves them wrong this time.
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