Among the many well-documented open wounds the Denver Broncos had last season, one gash was just as dire as any — unsatisfactory tight end play. Former Iowa Hawkeye T.J. Hockenson is the Broncos’ bandage for that position.

For the Broncos, Hockenson will likely be available when they pick at No. 10 in the NFL Draft, and there are two qualities that make him a tantalizing prospect: his reliable set of hands and ability to block.

Hockenson is a Herculean, 6-foot-5-inch tight end who moonlights as a receiver in the slot and a fullback in short-yardage situations. One play he’ll block a defensive lineman and make his assignment a non-factor, then he’ll catch a pass and turn upfield like a regular receiver on the next.

Hockenson hauled in 73 passes for 1,080 yards and 9 touchdowns in his two seasons at the University of Iowa, according to SportsReference. While nothing about those numbers indicates a top-10 pick, his play on the field is evidence that he holds himself to a high standard.

Hockenson earned an All-Big Ten Conference selection and the John Mackey Award — given to the nation’s top tight end — in 2018 despite finishing fourth in receiving yards at his position, according to SportsReference.

What makes him the complete package over his peers is his unabashedness when it came to blocking.

Blocking often takes a back seat in this new age of tight ends being No. 1 targets, much to the chagrin of football purists and desperate running backs. Hockenson, however, looks more like a guard when he attacks his assignment and finishes his block all the way through. Seeing as drafting an interior lineman at 10 would be a reach — to say the least — Hockenson could anchor the edge of the line and act as a second lead blocker alongside Andy Janovich to pave even larger holes for Phillip Lindsay. As the old adage in football goes, “play ‘til the whistle.” Hockenson personifies this to a T.

His blocking skills weave through his receiving talent, creating a spectacle the likes of NFL stars Travis Kelce and George Kittle have achieved. Hockenson forcefully took snaps from All-American tight end Noah Fant, another likely first-round pick, last season.

Hockenson showed his worth as a receiver in Iowa’s week six matchup with the University of Indiana, where he caught 4 passes for 107 yards and a pair of touchdowns. On three of those receptions, the defender never brought him down and could merely knock him off-balance or out of bounds.

Hockenson’s receptions were few and far between — he averaged just 4 in 13 games in 2018 — but mediocre and inconsistent play from quarterback Nathan Stanley shoulders more blame than anything in Hockenson’s control.

Stanley’s limitations mirror that of Joe Flacco, the Broncos’ new 34-year-old signal caller. Flacco has a stronger and more accurate arm, sure, but the narrative of his 2018-19 season was the Super Bowl MVP’s fall from relative-grace and his affinity for check-down passes. In nine games last season, Flacco averaged just 6.5 yards-per-attempt. Though Hockenson does a good job not letting tight coverage throw him off his routes, which he runs quite admirably, a tight end’s forte is not how crisp his slants are run nor how fluid his hips move to fake out defenders. The role Hockenson would serve in Denver is similar to his in Iowa — act as a reliable safety net when protection cracks and defenders blanket wideouts. Should the Broncos take him, Hockenson would be nearly-800 miles from home, but the set-up of the Denver offense will make playing at Mile High Stadium and Kinnick Stadium indistinguishable.

Detractors will point to Hockenson’s brutish blocking as a point of concern — an athletic defender can easily maneuver around his blocks in open field — and that he may not have the same success against professional athletes. But those can be mended through coaching and practice. Hockenson’s guard-like blocking, wideout receiving skills and astonishing athleticism for his size resemble that of a franchise’s next cornerstone.