It was clear to see that the Buffalo Bills made a concerted effort to strengthen the defense this offseason when their first five selections of the 2025 NFL Draft were on that side of the ball.
Maxwell Hairston, T.J. Sanders, Landon Jackson, Deone Walker, and Jordan Hancock all heard their names called before Bills’ general manager Brandon Beane seemingly even had a thought to provide offensive coordinator Joe Brady and newly-crowned MVP quarterback Josh Allen with more fire power.
When Beane’s draft focus did finally change course, however, the name that appeared across the screen at pick number 173 in the fifth round – Jackson Hawes, tight end, Georgia Tech – wasn’t exactly the type of weapon that fans were clamoring for all offseason.
Regardless of outside opinions, that’s exactly what Hawes has been for the Bills through the first three weeks of the season – a weapon.
Known mostly for his blocking prowess throughout his time as a Yale Bulldog and during his one season as a Yellow Jacket last year, the 6-foot-4, 253-pound bruiser certainly wasn’t on the radar of most casual draft enthusiasts in April.
Despite being relatively unknown, the Utah native has wasted little time introducing himself to fans, teammates, and opponents alike early on in his career.
The 24-year-old former Ivy-Leaguer has burst onto the scene in the month of September, continually flashing his immense talent as a blocker on the edge and even sprinkling in some surprising receiving skills from time to time as evidenced by his clutch 29-yard reception late in the fourth quarter in the season opener and his recent touchdown catch against the Miami Dolphins.
If you ask him, though? Hawes is just trying to fit in.
“Yeah, I mean – us three (tight ends) and Reggie at fullback – you know, we’re a legitimate, like, four-headed snake,” Hawes said in the locker room following the team’s most recent victory against Miami.
“We have got a lot of guys that do a lot of good stuff and, yeah, we’re coached well and get the job done.”
Thus far, the rookie, who teammate Dion Dawkins affectionately dubbed “Hawesy” in a recent interview, has done much more than simply get the job done.
In fact, the former three-star recruit from Highland High School in Salt Lake City, Utah, is the highest-graded rookie and highest-graded tight end in the league by Pro Football Focus’ metrics, earning a 91.8 grade for his efforts, landing ahead of tight ends Brenton Strange (79.9, Jacksonville) and Elijah Higgins (79.6, Arizona), as well as rookies like running back Cam Skattebo (85.7, New York) and linebacker Jihaad Campbell (84.6, Philadelphia).
The young tight end’s performance has caught the attention of many around the league, but, even more importantly, it has caught the attention of his teammates on a weekly basis in film study, dating all the way back to the early days of training camp at St. John Fisher University.
When offensive linemen are raving about another position’s blocking, you know that player must be doing something right.
What’s even more telling? The coaching staff is apparently equally as impressed as they’ve essentially scrapped the jumbo package with reserve interior lineman Alec Anderson from their arsenal, instead choosing to favor three tight end packages with Dalton Kincaid, Dawson Knox, and Hawes.
Hawes has accounted for 35% (77 snaps) of the team’s 220 total offensive snaps thus far, while Anderson has seen the field for just 15 snaps (6.82%), according to Pro Football Reference.
“He fires me up,” Bills’ veteran left guard David Edwards said following practice earlier this week.
“He is – without a doubt – the best blocking tight end I’ve ever seen. His ability to win one-on-one blocks on the edge, be in combination on outside zone (and) backside of zone plays is truly the best I’ve ever seen. He works his tail off, (and he) really cares, like, he’s a great teammate. He’s going to play forever (in this league) if he continues blocking people like this.”
With that said, it’s obvious to see that Hawes’ skillset and what it has allowed the Bills to do offensively isn’t lost on his coaches and teammates.
Opponents are no longer able to key in on running plays when an extra lineman comes onto the field, and it has helped Buffalo rack up a league-leading 489 total rushing yards and 163.0 yards per game on the ground, which is also tops in the NFL heading into the weekend.
While the Bills were undoubtedly successful with the previously-used jumbo package, it’s apparent that Hawes’ added threat to be a receiver on any given down has helped open things up against opposing defenses.
If Hawes is able to keep his current level of playing going for the remainder of the season, there’s no telling just how high Buffalo’s offense can soar in the weeks to come.
“Hawesy, in a good way, he’s just a stone-cold killer. He’s not going to be the loudest guy in the room. He’s probably not going to start the conversation, (and) he’s probably just going to do what he’s asked. If you asked Hawesy to run 1,000 yards and don’t stop until you finish the 1,000 yards – he’ll run 1,000 yards … which is stone-cold killer vibes, right?,” offensive tackle Dion Dawkins said during Wednesday’s media availability.
“I think having Hawesy around makes everybody block better – even us (offensive linemen) because we look at him (on film) – even Krome (coach Aaron Kromer) in meetings – he’ll say, ‘Oh, look at Hawesy. There goes Hawesy.’ And, you just see Hawesy taking somebody from here all the way past (here). We’re like, ‘That was a d-end (defensive end), right? Not just a skinny guy. That’s a d-end.’ And, it’s a reflection on Dalton, Dawson, Reggie – all of those guys. It’s a reflection on all of them. I think everybody on this team is making everybody better, and it’s scary.”
The Bills and Hawes will look to keep things rolling against the New Orleans Saints this Sunday when the two teams square off at 1 p.m. ET in Orchard Park, N.Y., at Highmark Stadium.
Editor’s babble: Many thanks to John Green for his contributions to our blog. You can also find John on Xwitter @JGreen_PRsports.
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