Bills Central

Bills' rookie Jackson Hawes garners teammate endorsement, eye-popping PFF ranking

Buffalo Bills' fifth-round rookie Jackson Hawes is impressing teammates and analytics geeks alike with his blocking.
Richie Whitt|
Bills tight end Jackson Hawes (85) celebrates a touchdown against the Dolphins in Week 3.
Bills tight end Jackson Hawes (85) celebrates a touchdown against the Dolphins in Week 3. | Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

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The Buffalo Bills are off to a 3-0 start and are heavy favorites to beat the New Orleans Saints Sunday at Highmark Stadium to remain undefeated. Josh Allen is again playing at an MVP level, they have a new 41-year-old hero in kicker Matt Prater and coach Sean McDermott's receiver-by-committee is producing positive results.

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The vibes are so good in western New York that they're even turning back the clock for offensive lineman Dion Dawkins.

The four-time Pro Bowl offensive lineman met the media Thursday in Orchard Park and was asked about the impressive blocking of rookie tight end Jackson Hawes. How good is it? According to Dawkins, it's contagious to the point of working as a time machine.

Asked about the blocking of tight end Dalton Kincaid, Dawkins eventually credited his rookie teammate.

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"Dalton is good, but I think having [Hawes] around makes everybody block better. Even us," Dawkins said of the offensive line. "We'll look up and he's taking a defensive end from here to there. Not a skinny guy, a defensive end. I think everybody on this team is making everybody better. I'm enjoying it. Year Nine feels more like Year Five."

Hawes, the fifth-round draft choice, has been such a pleasant surprise that he's the No. 1-rated tight end in all of the NFL according to Pro Football Focus. In addition to his blocking, he caught a touchdown in the Bills' last win over the Miami Dolphins.

Ravens cornerback Nate Wiggins (2) defends against Bills tight end Jackson Hawes (85) in Week 1.
Ravens cornerback Nate Wiggins (2) defends against Bills tight end Jackson Hawes (85) in Week 1. | Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

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Richie Whitt
RICHIE WHITT

Richie Whitt has been a sports media fixture in Dallas-Fort Worth since graduating from UT-Arlington in 1986. His career is highlighted by successful stints in print (Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Dallas Observer), TV (NBC5) and radio (105.3 The Fan). During his almost 40-year tenure, he's blabbed and blogged on events ranging from Super Bowls to NBA Finals to World Series to Stanley Cups to Olympics to Wimbledons to World Cups. Whitt has been covering the NFL since 1989, and in 1993 authored The 'Boys Are Back, a book chronicling the Dallas Cowboys' run to Super Bowl XXVII.

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