Analyst has odd choice for Bills' best-kept roster secret

Finding a diamond in the rough during the draft is what every team aims to do in the later rounds, and the Buffalo Bills might have done that.

Last season, tight end Jackson Hawes was taken in the fifth-round, which at the time wasn't seen as a big deal.

But he was the best blocking tight end in the class, and it was on show in his rookie season under Joe Brady. Yes, he caught 16 passes for 187 yards and 3 TDs, but Hawes' bread and butter is blocking.

And for Bleacher Report's Brent Sobleski, he thinks Hawes is the Bills' best-kept roster secret.

“The Buffalo Bills were ahead of the curve when the organization chose Jackson Hawes in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL draft," Sobleski wrote. "Hawes is a tone-setter and trendsetter as a blocking tight end, with some upside to contribute in Buffalo's passing attack.”

MORE: Analyst offers odd Chiefs cut candidate

Is Hawes really a secret?

Given the way the league is moving offensively, teams are more inclined to draft receiving tight ends, not blocking ones, but Hawes has already proven himself to be rather useful.

He played 43 percent of the offensive snaps in his rookie year, so there is room to grow for the tight end, and it is clearly as a receiving option for Josh Allen.

Yes, Dalton Kincaid and Dawson Knox are ahead of him, but Hawes can thrust his name into consideration to be used more often in the passing game.

He's not exactly a secret, but if Hawes can emerge as more of a passing threat, while maintaining his high standards blocking, then he might become a household name rather quickly.

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