According to Neil Stratton of Inside the League, Hokies WR/TE Bucky Hodges will enter the 2017 NFL Draft. The Virginia Tech redshirt junior's reported representation is Lagardère Sports.
#VirginiaTech junior TE Bucky Hodges has selected NYC-based @LSports_us for representation and will enter the '17 #NFLDraft.— Neil Stratton (@InsideTheLeague) December 30, 2016
Andy Bitter confirmed Stratton's report with Hodges' father.
Bucky Hodges' father Temuchin confirms that his son will enter the 2017 NFL Draft. The junior had 1,747 yards, 20 TDs with the #Hokies.— Andy Bitter (@AndyBitterVT) December 30, 2016
Hodges considered declaring for the draft following Tech's 2015 football season, but ultimately returned for a fourth year in Blacksburg to polish his game.
The 6-7, 245 pound 757 (Salem) product caught 48 passes for 691 yards and 7 TDs in 2016. Hodges caught 40-plus balls in each of his three seasons on the field, and improved his receiving average each subsequent year.
ESPN's Mel Kiper is extremely bullish on Hodges' potential. Earlier in the month, ESPN's draft guru ranked Hodges No. 21 on his big board.
"When you're that big and that athletic and that fast and you flashed big-time ability, you're going to have a pretty high grade," he said. "Now, you'd like to see more consistency. You'd like to see him at times fight a little bit more and show a little bit more, I wouldn't say competitiveness, but obviously maximize that ability on a more play-by-play, game-by-game basis.
"But you know, you look at where he can be. I think that's more upside than he's shown."
Although, most draft rankings (which are prone to fluctuation), rank Alabama's O.J. Howard as the No. 1 overall TE. NFLDraftScout.com ranks Hodges No. 47 overall and the No. 3 TE. Walterfootball.com pegs Hodges as the No. 5 TE.
[Hodges] is a dangerous receiver who can hurt defenses in the red zone. Hodges needs to improve his blocking for the NFL, but he could be an impactful receiving tight end.
Hodges worked as a wide receiver on most Hokies' snaps this season. He also flexed out wide plenty in 2015. Hodges ultimate draft position will hinge on how NFL Scouts value the upside of his athleticism combined with the potential for mismatches against both NFL linebackers and defensive backs.
Comments
Thought he needed to work on some more things at the college level but I hope he has an awesome pro career and thanks for being a great Hokie!!
Go make millions.
Good for him. I hope that someone drafts him who has the staff to develop his physical tools. If they can, they will get a steal.
Good luck to Bucky. Go get paid and do the Hokies proud.
Thanks for the memories Bucky! Specifically dancing in Ohio State's endzone in 2014. Good luck in the big league...
please don't go to the Redskins, Giants, or Eagles. pls.
Fuck the Cowboys
I'll just assume you're a fan of one of the 3 teams mentioned in my comment. good ol' nfc east hate, wouldn't have it any other way.
...and fuck whichever team it is.
Typical Cowboys fan born and raised in the 757, probably never stepped foot in Dallas, TX.
Your argument against him being a Dallas fan is ignorant.
There's no requirement for someone to be a fan. I've never been to Germany but I like their soccer teams, national and Bundesliga (Hertha Berlin).
This article in particular has a really interesting theory as to why so many Virginians are Cowboys fans. https://www.google.com/amp/deadspin.com/5979970/facebook-data-provides-t...
or maybe i have. stationed 6 years in Shreveport, La... 3 hours away from Dallas. but way to assume...and be wrong. good on you.
Growing up in the 80s without a father and watching a team play with a QB and DT with your last name makes a boy dream that one of them could be...that being said go Cowboys. And no, never stepped foot in Dallas.
Double Fuck the Cowbois
Go get paid, Bucky!
Get that shmoney, fam
That catch and dance shot him way up my list of favorite Hokies. Best of luck to him on Sundays.
Gotta love Ford saying, "Dude, you're getting flagged." Best TD dance in Hokie history, no doubt.
Rotoworld: August 2017
In a strange twist not often seen, reports are that TE Bucky Hodges has been taking snaps and won the job as Denver's starting QB this week. Sources indicate scouts identified him as such early, and the coaching staff drafted him last April already with intentions of making the position switch. "VT TEs and QBs are basically interchangable" says one unnamed source within the organization, "We already have next year's Jerrod Evans as a top 10 pick at TE on our board, too bad he likely won't fall to us"
They already had a 6-7 QB and let him go to Houston.
In retrospect, that was probably a good decision.
My only regret is that I only have one leg to give.
*Inserts QB/TE jokes here*
EDIT- Andddd I was beat by one minute^
GET PAID!!!
I honestly don't think he will be very good in the NFL, but if someone was going to give me 800k+ to join their team, I would say yes in an instant. Hopefully he proves me wrong. Congrats Buck!
Hate to see him go; however, anyone in their right mind would take the money and run. Congrats and good luck!
Didn't he earn his degree already? Good that he did that. Now go earn your millions before Father Time comes calling. Hokienation is proud of this QB-> TE -> WR student athlete!
Glad he made the decision to declare. Wouldn't be surprised to see his draft stock sky rocket with the combine and pro day. Can't wait to watch him on Sundays
Would be live for him to end up at the same team as tyrod... wherever that may be
Live? Kids say the darnedest things.
Auto-correct... it's great and the greatest pain!
Good luck to the big man! I hope he can make some adjustments and have a long career.
I really do think that someone will be able to step in and occupy his role quite nicely.
If his agent really is working for him, he will get Bucky classified as a WR not a TE. It doesn't matter much on the rookie contract but if you look back at what happened between Jimmy Graham and the Saints, being a TE cost Graham almost 5 mil when they put the franchise tag on him. He would have gotten 12 mil as a WR but instead got 7 mil as a TE. Also I think his long term potential is better served if he doesn't have to try to block at the NFL level.
Besides his measurables I never really got on the Bucky hype train as a receiver. His inability to stay on his feet after a catch drove me NUTS, along with some other things. With that being said, I hope he turns out to be a big success in the NFL and I can't wait to see what the young bucks coming up behind him can do next year!
But he made the catches...concentration. You have to give him that.
Not really. I'v seen him drop a handful of easy touchdown or big gain passes this year. I think consistency is another issue for him.
I'm with you, brother. Like Kiper mentions, he needs to show a little more competitiveness and consistency to excel at the next level, especially considering he's a tweener, neither fast/agile enough as a WR, or stout enough as a TE. If I was him, I'd go to Mike Ditka's blocking school and bulk up a little, cause speed/agility is innate, and he's closer to being a TE more than a wideout. Next he needs to apply those physical abilities to steamroll DBs, and increase that YAC. Would also help to keep your feet under yourself after making a catch instead of constantly falling during or immediately after the catch, which would be another reason for him being a TE instead of a WR at the next level.
So long Bucky. Hopefully he has more catches like this in the NFL than the falling-down kind.
Good luck Buck! Thanks for the service!
Loved watching the freak make plays, thanks for three exciting years Bucky. Go get paid, son.
I'll hate to lose him. He's the biggest mismatch we've had in Blacksburg since MV7. With that said...
Jason Witten is probably my favorite TE ever. 'Pokes pick end of rd1.
I have six words: Bucky, Hodges, Dak, Prescott, Ezekiel, Elliott.
One more word: YIKES.
On a more positive note, I can confirm Wyatt Teller will be back next year
#sauces?
The source literally couldn't be closer lol
He's behind me isn't he?
You better be right, or this is going to turn ugly.
The draft committee told him he needs to work on lowering his "utterly crippling 15-yard penalties per game" average.
Real talk: he's gonna be a beast on Sundays as soon as the mental Teller learns how to rein in the physical Teller. Happy to let him figure that out under one of the best offensive minds in 'ball. Thumbs way up.
Thanks to whoever negated that downvote.
Did I really just have to type that? Wow.
Positive note? Teller was the one frequently help Jerod up after Jerod got sacked by his man.
Teller was fantastic when we ran plays where he pulled, but was not consistent when blocking straight on...
So the Buck stops ere.
But it will continue on elsewhere. Godspeed God's gift.
Make Hokie Nation proud, Genghis Khan.
He's going to be a freak in the combine.
Freak at WR or freak at TE? What do we really know about his measurables?
WR and Mike Evans seem to be his model. I'd really like to see him train with the guys who trained Evans for the combine. He's got some work to do. Trodding in ME's footsteps would probably help him get there.
Last I heard he was 7'8"
.
I think he needs more polishing, though I don't see him getting that at VT. I feel like his intensity dropped a bit this year.
Wish him the best of luck and hope he has a long career, VT needs it.
The NFL doesn't limit practice. I think going pro will give him the chance to take the next step if he puts in the work.
Not sure more practice is what he needs as I felt that it was more on the effort level. VT can't help there.
Practices are limited in the NFL under the CBA. He would probably get more practice time in the NCAA.
I'm assuming this was to the other comment who mentioned that practice wasn't limited in the NFL.
As a rookie he would get extra the 1st year. He can also come back to Tech and workout like Manning did at Duke.
Uhhh?
I can't believe he would do it. Guy has a legit shot at being a day 1 pick with another year of development.
Hope he makes the best decision for his life, but feel like it would be tossing out a lottery ticket.
I try to at things objectively, but this would maybe be the craziest decision I've ever seen. I don't even know if he would get picked.
Shyrone Stith flashbacks?
Crazy idea. Maybe he's not confident he'll hold off Josh Jackson?
Pretty sure there no chance Jackson is gonna beat out Evans. Evans is one of the best running qbs in the country.
losing 2 WRs to NFL is probably the issue... would love to see us pick up a guy who can be our #1 next year... as it is ... hard 4 me to see who is ready to be the new number 1, new number 2... next man up is what you gotta believe
woulda been nice if we coulda kept out top two WRs for 1 more year... but hey... if they got the opportunity you gotta support it.
all my wuts
Mel Kiper pegged Bucky 100%. I mean we would loved to see him fight more for balls and look a bit more physical with his size. We know all the physicals are there for him to play in the NFL and his upsides are better than coming back for another year.
I hope he does more than the old catch and fall in the NFL and best of luck to him. Always love cheering for Hokies in the NFL...unless they play for the cowboys then I hope they lose ever game but have a good game for themselves.
BUCKY is now the #1 TE in this draft class.
Senior Jake Butt sadly tore his ACL tonight in the FSU vs Michigan game.
This is why some players decide to sit, luckily sounds like he took an insurance policy but still extremely sad to see/hear about.
Not quite, OJ Howard will still be drafted before Bucky will be
Idk I think they'll be 1a 1b.. Howard is more unknown than BUCKY since he's not used that often.
Howard only had 13 receptions this year & 106 in his 4 years with only 6 TDs.
Bucky had 133 receptions with 20 TDs.
Presuming Bucky is a TE... not clear I saw alot of him at TE this season.
Dalvin Cook had no regrets in his postgame interview; of course he didn't get injured.
While he definitely has some rough edges to smooth out during his transition to the League, Bucky has become one of my favorite playmakers during the rebuilding process during the end of CFB's tenure to the beginning of the En Fuente era. He definitely has had some bone headed drops, and almost always falls to the ground while catching, but he has made more big plays than I can count for this team when the struggled offensively. Gonna miss you Bucky! Max out your potential and become a dominant wide receiver for a good NFL team!
He's a potent weapon on offense that VT fans are going to greatly miss.
VT better step up the recruiting. Some of the current players will be difficult to replace.
Go nab da ca$h mahnee! Honestly, I didn't feel that he performed as well this season as he did the previous 2 in the receiving & TD department. Maybe the blocking. Think he should stay one more. But understand and wish him the best.
Know I'm probably (definitely) dreaming, but an Isiah, Bucky, Tyrod landing spot would be sweet
Reading through these comments, I really wonder what Bucky ever did to inspire this much backhanded vitriol for him. I've noticed this over the last two years, lots of Hokie fans seem to barely even like him. He was incredibly productive during his time here and made lots of huge plays, never did anything to suggest he was lazy, and never acted selfishly or against the team's best interest, but there is at least an outspoken minority of people that have concocted a narrative in their head that he is some seemingly unproductive, lazy, selfish player. I do not understand it at all.
People like to just make up flaws to point out when they don't want someone to leave and say "they need to stay and work"
I don't really sense a ton of vitriol on here per se. Don't know about everywhere else. The general sentiment I get is that he could've performed better on the field and that coming back could/would help him. I see most of the comments on here wishing him well regardless.
Our perspective is skewed by his "ceiling". The guy is obviously an athletic freak of nature and just by waking up in the morning, putting his pads on, he can go out and make plays that none of us could make...I disagree with this perspective but to some, if he's not the college version of Odell Beckham, then he "didn't reach his potential". That's why we love guys like Sam Rogers, because he "reached his ceiling" even though he wasn't as productive as Bucky.
If Bucky tweeted everyday how hard he is working out, meeting with coaches etc., those people wouldn't be giving him shit.
Godspeed to Bucky, I'm so happy he was a Hokie. Go make bank bro.
Bucky posted a statement on Instagram (which, for whatever reason won't embed properly):
https://www.instagram.com/p/BOsOphrjPSC/?hl=en
He's a damn prince, and I thank him for his contributions to Hokie football.
Thanks. Thanks for that. And f*k those onion dicing ninjas.