Scouting Report: Gators 2022 TE Commit CJ Hawkins
It's hard to expect any tight end to ever replicate what Kyle Pitts was able to do in the Florida Gators offense over the past two years. However, his ascension to greatness carved a path for similar athletes to thrive at the position while wearing orange and blue.
Florida is hoping that 2022 commit C.J. Hawkins can find success by walking that path. Standing at 6-foot-7, 220 pounds with loads of length, room to add muscle mass, and athleticism, Hawkins looks the part of the modern tight end who can create mismatches in the passing game.
Whether or not he will become that has yet to be seen, as 2020 was Hawkins' first year of playing football. The Berkeley Prep (Tampa, Fla.) product had primarily played basketball up until his junior year before quickly emerging as a Power 5-caliber football prospect with untapped potential at tight end.
Hawkins is undoubtedly raw, but possesses the traits that a game-changing tight end does in this day and age. Length, speed, agility, sure hands, and a good bit of coaching turned Pitts from a raw prospect into a top four draft pick this past April; Hawkins has all of those traits and will develop under the same coaching as Pitts did beginning next year.
Hawkins hails from an offense that incorporates the tight end in numerous ways, which should expand his knowledge of the position and give him an advantage upon enrolling at UF. Often aligning in-line, Berkeley Prep's offensive line puts its hands down in unison before immediately snapping the ball. This could help Hawkins with snap timing and preventing false starts as he continues to learn the game.
As a receiver, well, Hawkins is as inexperienced as they come for a Power 5 tight end prospect. He has just four receptions to his name, which ended in a total of 82 yards and a touchdown.
Hawkins' lone touchdown came on a cleanly executed corner route where Hawkins released cleanly out of a three-point stance and cut diagonally toward the front right pylon in the endzone, keeping a step in front of his coverage safety the entire time. The pass was slightly underthrown, but Hawkins did a great job of tracking the ball into his catching radius and making a leaping grab for six points.
The touchdown looked natural, and Hawkins played the entire rep like a receiver with smooth movement skills and by showing off the skills necessary to win in contested catch situations. In the Gators' offense, ideally, Hawkins will be able to make those plays consistently.
Hawkins is certainly a hands-catcher and has shown a propensity to attack the ball in the air, which he's shown by extending for an in-stride pass on a crossing pattern and while targeted on a flat-release before turning up the field to create yards after the catch. Hawkins has shown in a limited fashion that he knows how to use his length to his advantage as a receiver.
Obviously, we need to see these aspects of Hawkins' game on a consistent basis before drawing any conclusions, but the arrows are all pointing up for Hawkins as a pass-catching tight end.
There were occasions in 2020 when Hawkins would line up out wide which Berkeley Prep ought to utilize more often in 2021, so long as Hawkins continues to understand route concepts. His size and speed will be unguardable against the average high school defensive back which should allow Hawkins to boost his production significantly. Florida would do this often with Pitts, so the more experience Hawkins has flexing out wide, the merrier.
Hawkins has shown a willingness to block and is a physical player, but technique and added strength will help him grow in this department tremendously. Hawkins is athletic enough to mirror defenders in space and engage with smaller players such as linebackers and defensive backs, but will need significant time in the weight room before being able to take on SEC-caliber defensive linemen in the run game.
His technique will need sharpening as well. Hawkins' effort is admirable and his smooth release out of the in-line stance allows him to swiftly get his hands on opposing linemen, but he must work on lowering his pad level to create leverage. Hawkins won't consistently be the lowest man at the point of attack due to his height but he can get lower to generate more power and drive out blocks.
There were a couple of instances where Hawkins flat-out tackled defenders that he was blocking, which would probably get called as a holding at minimum. This will need to be coached out of his blocking style.
Time will tell what Hawkins will turn into as a football player. Again, expecting a player to turn into someone of Pitts' caliber is an unrealistic ask, but Hawkins fits the Pitts mold as a tight end prospect and could turn into a game-changing offensive weapon with thorough coaching. He has length, speed, agility, and sure hands as a receiver, plus a willingness to block and the physicality to make it work.
By the time Hawkins enters his third season at Florida, at least as long as Tim Brewster remains tight ends coach and Dan Mullen is head coach, he could turn into a serious weapon in the Gators' offense.
You can watch Hawkins' highlights via HUDL here.