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Aaron Hernandez was a one of a kind talent

By Matt Green

Oct 1, 2016; Nashville, TN, USA; View of a Florida Gators helmet as players stretch prior to the game against the Vanderbilt Commodores at Vanderbilt Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 1, 2016; Nashville, TN, USA; View of a Florida Gators helmet as players stretch prior to the game against the Vanderbilt Commodores at Vanderbilt Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports /
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Former Florida Gators and New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez reportedly committed suicide in a Massachusetts prison on Wednesday morning according to a story from ESPN.com.

A few days ago, Hernandez was acquitted in a double murder case, but was still serving a life sentence for a separate murder conviction.

I must preface this story by saying I obviously don’t condone what Hernandez did at all. Being convicted of taking another life is one of the worst things you can do as a human being.

But this is a sports site. And from a sports perspective, you can’t help but wonder what could’ve been of Hernandez’s NFL career.

Florida

Aaron Hernandez was one of the most extraordinary athletes the SEC has ever seen. The 2008 and 2009 Florida Gators are one of the all-time great teams in college football. They had an explosive offense and a shut down defense. Urban Meyer’s system was tailor-made for his personnel.

With Tim Tebow, Percy Harvin, Louis Murphy, and Hernandez, that offense was nearly unstoppable. But more specifically, they ran the most unstoppable play in college football history with that shovel option.

The above video is from 2009, but in 2008 was when the play was at it’s deadliest because of Harvin. Tebow would have Harvin on the outside like a traditional option play, but if the defense defended the quarterback and the pitch man, then Hernandez was open on the shovel pass to the middle. And as you can see from the video, it very rarely got stopped.

In his career with the Florida Gators, Hernandez caught 111 passes for 1,382 yards and 12 touchdowns. And in 2009 he won the John Mackey Award for the nation’s best tight end with 68 receptions, 850 yards, and 5 touchdowns.

New England Patriots 

Despite being the best tight end in college football, Hernandez was drafted in the 4th round (113th overall) in the 2010 NFL Draft.

If you pull up Hernandez’s stats on pro-football-reference.com, it lists him as a RB/TE. That right there tells you the type of dynamic athlete he was. And in his brief, three-year NFL career he was a playmaker.

In 38 career games, Hernandez tallied 175 receptions, 1,956 yards, and 18 touchdowns. And in 2011 he caught 79 balls for 910 yards and 7 touchdowns. And he was the third leading receiver on the team with Wes Welker and Rob Gronkowski each having more receptions, yards, and touchdowns. Gronkowski actually led the NFL with 17 touchdowns that season.

There have been great tight ends in NFL history, but there’s never been one with the athletic skill set of Hernandez. I’m not saying he was the best tight end ever, but he was a one-of-a-kind talent. He revolutionized the wide receiver/tight end hybrid position. He was too quick and too fast for linebackers and too big for corners and safeties.

While Hernandez has nobody to blame but himself, and his punishment certainly fit the crime for which he was convicted, the sports world has to wonder just how good Hernandez could’ve been, because there has never been a talent like him.

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