Iowa tight end T.J. Hockenson, who became the fourth player at the position to go in the top eight of a draft in the last 40 years. Going so early leads to high expectations, but Hockenson said his expectations for hims

Hakeem Valles’ spot on the Lions roster is just the beginning of a new challenge 2018 roster cut down day was a little different for Detroit Lions tight end Hakeem Valles this time around. The undrafted Monmouth product had trouble sticking on an NFL roster after the Arizona Cardinals scooped him up as a free agent after the 2016 draft. He bounced between the practice squad and active roster in Arizona before joining the Lions to do the same in 2017. Like many other players Sylvester Williams Jersey , it looked like his career was never truly going to amount to anything more than a fringe roster talent that would rarely see any playing time. This preseason changed everything for him, though. Valles was set to be nothing more than another camp body entering the season, but a stand out preseason earned him a spot on the initial 53-man roster for the first time in his career. “This year was a lot longer because the call never came after two years straight of getting that call,” Valles told reporters after the team’s first practice of the regular season. The tight end looked like a lock on the roster after putting together a month of great football, but for a player who had been left on the outside so many times Eli Harold Jersey , it was hard for him to feel safe. With fellow tight ends Michael Roberts and Levine Toilolo failing to do anything to impress the Lions so far, it is realistic to believe that Valles will have a crucial role on the team this season. He is arguably the second-best tight end on the 53-man roster and may even get starting designations in some early season contests.As a player that has been on the outside looking in so many times, he knows that he shouldn’t get complacent.Detroit is still doing everything they can to solidify their roster before their opening game against the New York Jets on Monday night. They already brought in linebacker Marquis Flowers among others to help bolster some of their weaknesses, and every time a player comes in another must go out. “Everybody’s getting evaluated every day, so you don’t know what could happen Ricky Wagner Jersey ,” Valles said when asked about his future on the team. The tight end knows better than anyone that you must continue to work to succeed in this league. For now, though, Monday night gives him his first opportunity to truly contribute as a Detroit Lion. The Lions made no secret of their plans to upgrade at tight end this offseason and they stuck to that plan with the eighth overall pick on Thursday night.The team drafted former Iowa tight end T.J. Hockenson, who became the fourth player at the position to go in the top eight of a draft in the last 40 years. Going so early leads to high expectations, but Hockenson said his expectations for himself are the same as they were before the draft got underway.“Honestly Anthony Zettel Jersey , I mean, I don’t think there’s any expectations that I don’t have myself,” Hockenson said, via the . “I’m going to go in and I’m going to do the same thing I did throughout my entire life is work hard and figure out what I need to do to help that team. Whether that’s inline blocking, whether that’s catching the ball Miles Killebrew Jersey , whether that’s sitting on the bench, no one knows. There’s support, but I’m going to work my tail off. I’m going to do everything I can to help this team.”The Lions don’t have the best history when it comes to taking tight ends in the first round. Hockenson said he “can’t control anything about that” and the hope in Detroit is that his arrival will make people forget Eric Ebron, Brandon Pettigrew and any other bad memories.