T.J. Hockenson trade grades: Who won the deal between the Vikings and Lions?
Who got the better end of the Minnesota Vikings' trade for Detroit Lions tight end T.J. Hockenson?
The Minnesota Vikings aren’t content with their 6-1 record.
That’s why, sensing an opportunity in a down year for most of the NFC, general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah made a big splash hours before the NFL’s trade deadline. The Vikings added T.J. Hockenson — a 25-year-old whose 15.3 yards per catch is tops among all tight ends in 2022 — to a receiving corps that already features Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen.
The Detroit Lions will receive a second- and third-round pick in exchange for their former starting tight end, a fourth-rounder and an additional conditional fourth. Hockenson will immediately upgrade a position group led by Irv Smith Jr., Hockenson has 26 receptions for 395 yards in the middle of a Lions offense that passes a lot, but is still led by broken toy Jared Goff behind center.
The Vikings got a tight end upgrade. The Lions got a pretty decent draft haul. Who got the better end of this deal?