Needing to address the blocking tight end role after several departures and injuries, the Buffalo Bills drafted Georgia Tech TE Jackson Hawes in the fifth round. Hawes comes to Buffalo after a year at Georgia Tech where he had just 16 catches for 195 yards in his only year there. Prior to this, he spent five seasons at Yale, majoring in economics.
Hawes understands his role within an offense and said during the Combine that he’s looking to punish people. While not heavily involved in any offense within his career, the blocking tight end role is incredibly value as an extra lineman during certain packages and adds an extra wrinkle into the offense.
Read below for Jackson Hawes publicly reported injury history and analysis.
Injury History
2019 Yale
No publicly reported injuries.
2020 Yale
Season cancelled (COVID)
2021 Yale
No publicly reported injuries.
2022 Yale
No publicly reported injuries.
2023 Yale
Undisclosed injury, vs Penn, missed 1 game.
Hawes missed the Columbia game but no additional details are available.
2024 Georgia Tech
Ankle injury, vs Louisville, missed 1 game.
Hawes injured his ankle late in the game against Louisville after he said he tweaked it during the two-minute offense. Despite tweaking it, he continued to play through the injury to secure a 41-yard seam-read. Looking back at the film, it’s not clear how, when, or which side he injured the ankle. He had a bye the following week, suited up against Duke but didn’t record any stats before missing North Carolina.
Buffalo Bills Injury Analysis
There isn’t much from an injury perspective which is a great thing for Hawes’ health moving forward. Anytime there is a FCS, Ivy League, or D2 player, injury information is nearly impossible to find.
As for Hawes ankle injury, the way he describes the injury as a tweak indicates a low ankle sprain but the time he missed suggests a high-ankle sprain. Either way, both injuries are of minimal concern moving forward. The high-ankle is more of a nuisance during the season but looking at his stats, he did not suffer a drop off in production regardless what the exact injury was.
Final Thoughts
Hawes comes to Buffalo knowing his exact role and looking at his height and weight at 6’4” and 250 lbs, he’s nearly a carbon copy of Dawson Knox. He’s also slightly bigger than Dalton Kincaid but looking at each of those players, the Bills certainly have a type that fits well within their offense.
I don’t expect to hear Hawes name often other than when he delivers a devastating block in the run game or secures a key reception or touchdown. He is filling the role that Lee Smith and Quintin Morris once held down throughout the years. Looking at his film, he knows how to use his body to throw an effective block and continue moving. He has a lot of potential to be a quiet but key member on the offense when called upon.
There are zero concerns from a health standpoint for Hawes as he enters the NFL and could see himself have a long career not only due to his blocking abilities but his intelligence allowing him to quickly learn offenses and special teams duties.
I would like to wish Jackson Hawes a warm welcome to the city of Buffalo and to remain healthy this season.
Top Photo Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images
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