Cleveland Browns: 5 Bold predictions for Week 1 vs. Ravens
By Randy Gurzi
3. Hooper goes for 100 and a TD
Another free-agent addition this offseason was Austin Hooper, who came to the Cleveland Browns after four seasons with the Atlanta Falcons. Hooper was given a big contract to take over as the No. 1 tight end and in Kevin Stefanski’s offense, he’s expected to have quite the role.
Hooper was a third-round pick out of Stanford in 2016 and developed into one of the better route runners at his position. His best season came in 2019 when he managed to catch 75 passes for 787 yards and six touchdowns — which was even with him missing three games on the year.
For his career, he now has 214 catches for 2,244 yards and 16 touchdowns but now not only has a coach who likes to get the tight end involved, but also a quarterback who likes to look to the tight end often.
Baker Mayfield has often targeted tight ends, especially in the red zone. The first touchdown pass of his career was even to a tight end as he found Darren Fells for a 49-yard score. He also frequently targeted Demetrius Harris, Rick Seals-Jones, and David Njoku when near the goal line — and while it didn’t always work with them, that will be different with Hooper.
And in this prediction, he proves that right out of the gate as he makes life difficult on the Ravens with over 100 yards receiving as well as a touchdown pass.