At the NFL combine, tight end Jackson Hawes said he was “looking to punish” 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’s not just Hawes who knows how to describe his tenacious style of play.
Take Georgia Tech tight ends coach Nathan Brock’s word for it.
“I would say it’s that he’s a Ford hitting a rooster,” Brock said of Hawes. “If you’re a Ford truck, obviously, you know, big bad and running over something a little bit smaller than him, there’s going to be blood and feathers everywhere, right?
“So, that’s how (Hawes) plays. He’s a Ford truck running over a rooster.”
Buffalo Bills Rookie Minicamp (copy)
The play of Bills rookie tight end Jackson Hawes has been described as a “Ford hitting a rooster.” Joshua Bessex, Buffalo News
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’ play style up close, too.
“He’s like Drago from ‘Rocky IV,’ ” 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 “really fun.”
Georgia Tech Georgia Football (copy)
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. Mike Stewart, Associated Press
Yale offensive coordinator Chris Ostrowsky sees Hawes’ blocking stem from his mental understanding of the game, as well as his physical skill set.
“He has a really cool understanding of leverage,” Ostrowsky said. “Bringing his lower body to dance, if you will.
“So, he creates a real violent approach to what he’s doing on contact. So, I expect him to be a very long-tenured NFL tight end that’ll be eventually successful because of his willingness and want to stand out as a blocker.”
Brock saw Hawes as a player who would “make people around him better.” 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.
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“And on the football field, he’s kind of the polar opposite, right?” Brock said.
“He’s a physical guy. He’s tough as nails. He’s looking to punish people within the realm of the game, right? And plays very physical, but he’s also selfless,” 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.
“We get into some big-time games this past year, and just continuing to remind him, like, ‘Hey, you belong here.’ You know, ‘Go out here and do your thing, and people will notice you,’ ” Brock said.
“And so it was really cool to see him kind of have that confidence in himself, like, ‘Hey, when I step on the field, I’m the baddest dude out here,’ ” he added.
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A punisher, Drago-esque and a Ford hitting a rooster. But when the game ends, Hawes says he’s just goofy. He’ll do anything to crack up his friends. He pointed to a recent example in Utah.
“When I was with my buddies back home, a couple days before we left, we went to this hot wing spot. I ended up … signing this waiver to get, like, the hottest of the hot wings,” Hawes said, knowing what was in store for his friends.
“And I just did that just so they could laugh,” he said.
And how were the hot wings?
“Oh, it was terrible,” Hawes said. “It melted my face off. It didn’t even taste like of this earth. It was insane.”
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Hawes fell in love with football because of the relationships. In everything he does, he’s looking to bring people closer, whether it’s 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’s a very positive thing. Hawes’ approach to this time of year mirrors the camaraderie that the Bills look to build during training camp at St. John Fisher.
“It’s just great,” Hawes said. “I 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 … if I find myself scrolling or something on Instagram, I’m just like, ‘You know what? I’m gonna just go knock on somebody’s door, like, see what they’re doing.’ ”
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