Austin Hooper received some pleasant news when Zach Ertz decided to forgo the Pro-Bowl. The third-year tight-end from Stanford is going to his first Pro-Bowl.
Hooper had a breakout season for the Falcons, catching 71 balls – good for the fourth-most among tight ends and second-most on the team – for 660 yards and four touchdowns. In an offense with three other premier threats, that’s saying quite a lot for a player who only had 68 receptions in his previous two seasons combined.
Before this past season, Ryan alluded to Hooper’s willingness to meet up and work with him, saying, “he (Hooper) would show up anywhere.” Those kind of statements are made often, but not always with a lot of weight behind them. It’s nice to see the work paid off in this situation.
Hooper joins Alex Mack and Julio Jones as the other Falcons Pro-Bowlers. Although Julio Jones has already decided he will not be participating in the game.