Who is replacing TJ Hockenson and Noah Fant for Iowa?

The Iowa Hawkeyes football program lost two key pieces of its offense when TJ Hockenson and Noah Fant left early. Who is replacing them?

The Iowa Hawkeyes are in the unprecedented position of having to replace two first-round picks at the tight end position in the same offseason.

Not only that, the Hawkeyes saw two top 20 players leave at the tight end position following the 2018 season.

TJ Hockenson (8th overall, Detroit Lions) and Noah Fant (20th overall, Denver Broncos) combined for 88 catches this past season for the Hawkeyes with a combined 13 touchdown grabs. It’s unreasonable to think one player can replace all of that production, but someone has to be the next in line for Tight End U, do they not?

That next man up could very well be Iowa native Shaun Beyer, a 6-foot-5, 244-pound fourth-year junior who has yet to catch a single pass for the Hawkeyes.

Beyer was 200 pounds when he came to Iowa as a high school receiver, and as is typically the case for players coming into the Hawkeyes program, Kirk Ferentz and his staff saw a future tight end in the high school receiver with a huge frame.

Although Beyer is joined by a number of players on Iowa’s roster competing for snaps at the tight end position including Drew Cook, a 6-foot-5, 252-pound senior.

Beyer has the athleticism and pass catching ability to be a big-time playmaker for the Hawkeyes at tight end, but injuries have prevented him from making any sort of positive impact for the team to this point in his college career.

A special teams gaffe is, unfortunately, what Beyer is known for by Iowa fans, but he’s looking to change the narrative in 2019.

The Hawkeyes are known for producing NFL-quality tight ends. Why? Not only are these guys tremendous athletes, they come into the league having played in a pro-style offense with 11, 21, and 12 personnel with play-action and an in-depth understanding of how to study an opposing defense.

If Beyer, despite his inexperience and injury history, is atop the team’s depth chart at tight end, that says something about what this kid does in the weight room, classroom, and film room.

Hawkeyes tight ends must be able to block, split out, and make an impact in the red zone, or they won’t play. It’s as simple as that.

They have sent some elite prospects to the NFL in recent years with George Kittle coming out in 2017 and Hockenson/Fant coming out in 2019.

Could Beyer be the next?

Brian Ferentz is both Iowa’s offensive coordinator and tight ends coach. He’s hands-on with the guys operating at the tight end spot so for Beyer to have the top TE spot at this point is significant.

We know quarterback Nate Stanley likes to get the ball to the tight end position, so he or whoever seizes the top spot should see a high number of targets, but he will have to take advantage of them and prove he can be a reliable threat just like Hockenson and Fant.

Beyer says he worked with Fant specifically in speed drills, and he could keep up with him for about 20-yards or so. Fant ran a blazing 4.51 at the 2019 Scouting Combine, and Beyer may not be that fast, but he might be a sub-4.6 guy.

Because of the outrageous success Iowa has had in recent years sending guys at this position to the NFL, Beyer’s is a name worth monitoring.