At the NFL combine, tight end Jackson Hawes said he was 鈥渓ooking to punish鈥 when he blocks.
A couple of months later, when he was drafted by the Buffalo Bills, Hawes added that he likes to play with lasers coming out of his eyes.
But it鈥檚 not just Hawes who knows how to describe his tenacious style of play.
Take Georgia Tech tight ends coach Nathan Brock鈥檚 word for it.
鈥淚 would say it鈥檚 that he鈥檚 a Ford hitting a rooster,鈥 Brock said of Hawes. 鈥淚f you鈥檙e a Ford truck, obviously, you know, big bad and running over something a little bit smaller than him, there鈥檚 going to be blood and feathers everywhere, right?
鈥淪o, that鈥檚 how (Hawes) plays. He鈥檚 a Ford truck running over a rooster.鈥
The play of Bills rookie tight end Jackson Hawes has been described as a 鈥淔ord hitting a rooster.鈥
A fifth-round pick of the Bills, Hawes spent four years at Yale University before finishing his college career at Georgia Tech. At Yale, he played with Wande Owens, a safety who the Bills brought in this month as an undrafted free agent.
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Owens has seen Hawes鈥 play style up close, too.
鈥淗e鈥檚 like Drago from 鈥楻ocky IV,鈥 鈥 Owens said.
The Bills selected Hawes in part for that vicious blocking, but Buffalo general manager Brandon Beane said after the draft that he wants to develop Hawes as a pass-catcher, as well. His college coaches believe he can do it. His collegiate numbers were a reflection of Hawes being a team-first player.
This past season at Georgia Tech, Hawes had 16 catches for 195 yards in 12 games. But his playmaking ability in the Georgia Tech-Georgia game really caught the eyes of Beane. Hawes thinks blocking is 鈥渞eally fun.鈥
Georgia Tech tight end Jackson Hawes makes a catch against Georgia defensive back Daylen Everette on Nov. 29, 2024, in Athens, Ga. Hawes is now a rookie with the Bills.
Yale offensive coordinator Chris Ostrowsky sees Hawes鈥 blocking stem from his mental understanding of the game, as well as his physical skill set.
鈥淗e has a really cool understanding of leverage,鈥 Ostrowsky said. 鈥淏ringing his lower body to dance, if you will.
鈥淪o, he creates a real violent approach to what he鈥檚 doing on contact. So, I expect him to be a very long-tenured NFL tight end that鈥檒l be eventually successful because of his willingness and want to stand out as a blocker.鈥
Brock saw Hawes as a player who would 鈥渕ake people around him better.鈥 In the locker room, Hawes was a confidant to teammates who needed someone to count on. A great friend, and a self-described Labrador retriever, Hawes is amicable and welcoming.
鈥淎nd on the football field, he鈥檚 kind of the polar opposite, right?鈥 Brock said.
鈥淗e鈥檚 a physical guy. He鈥檚 tough as nails. He鈥檚 looking to punish people within the realm of the game, right? And plays very physical, but he鈥檚 also selfless,鈥 he added.
Sometimes, though, Hawes would need that reassurance that he was in the right place. Brock believes he was underrecruited, so when Hawes made the jump to the ACC, Brock would remind him that he fit in the conference perfectly.
鈥淲e get into some big-time games this past year, and just continuing to remind him, like, 鈥楬ey, you belong here.鈥 You know, 鈥楪o out here and do your thing, and people will notice you,鈥 鈥 Brock said.
鈥淎nd so it was really cool to see him kind of have that confidence in himself, like, 鈥楬ey, when I step on the field, I鈥檓 the baddest dude out here,鈥 鈥 he added.
A punisher, Drago-esque and a Ford hitting a rooster. But when the game ends, Hawes says he鈥檚 just goofy. He鈥檒l do anything to crack up his friends. He pointed to a recent example in Utah.
鈥淲hen I was with my buddies back home, a couple days before we left, we went to this hot wing spot. I ended up 鈥 signing this waiver to get, like, the hottest of the hot wings,鈥 Hawes said, knowing what was in store for his friends.
鈥淎nd I just did that just so they could laugh,鈥 he said.
And how were the hot wings?
鈥淥h, it was terrible,鈥 Hawes said. 鈥淚t melted my face off. It didn鈥檛 even taste like of this earth. It was insane.鈥
Hawes fell in love with football because of the relationships. In everything he does, he鈥檚 looking to bring people closer, whether it鈥檚 cheering for the team or getting his pals to laugh at his dining choices.
Right now, the Bills have rookies in the same hotel, which reminds Hawes of his dorm days at Yale. For him, that鈥檚 a very positive thing. Hawes鈥 approach to this time of year mirrors the camaraderie that the Bills look to build during training camp at St. John Fisher.
鈥淚t鈥檚 just great,鈥 Hawes said. 鈥淚 think it forces us to all hang out with each other. When all your teammates are just in the rooms, just down the line, like, it makes it easy to just 鈥 if I find myself scrolling or something on Instagram, I鈥檓 just like, 鈥榊ou know what? I鈥檓 gonna just go knock on somebody鈥檚 door, like, see what they鈥檙e doing.鈥 鈥
