Aaron Hernandez is Not The Best SEC Tight End

Everybody from ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit to Florida coach Urban Meyer is hyping up Florida tight end Aaron Hernandez like he is the best tight end in the SEC. Pro scouts drool over the thought of Hernandez playing on Sundays as they love his frame at 6-3, 250 lbs. Hernandez should make up for the loss of receivers Percy Harvin and Louis Murphy, but Hernandez is not the best tight end in the SEC. The tight end that is the best in the conference plays on a team that many are picking as the surprise team in the SEC.

The player I am talking about is D.J. Williams of Arkansas. The junior tight end had a very successful season last year with 699 yards and three touchdowns.  Williams should have an even better season now that he is playing with quarterback Ryan Mallet. The sophomore transfer from Michigan is a perfect fit for Bobby Petrino’s offense and should end up as one of the best quarterbacks in the conference. Petrino has a history of producing quarterbacks that throw for a lot of yards and Mallet is no exception. Williams will be the favorite target of Mallet and will also benefit from a strong run game with the return of senior Michael Smith.

Williams was one of the few bright spots on a 5-7 Arkansas team last season and this is a team that could be a surprise pick to make the Cotton Bowl. Arkansas averaged only 21.8 points per game last season and this number should improve dramatically in year number two under Petrino. This Arkansas team is slowly starting to look like some of Petrino’s Louisville teams. Fans of the Atlanta Falcons will call Petrino a snake and a bad coach, but you can’t forget that Petrino has one of the best offensive minds in the country. Williams has similar size to Hernandez as he is listed at 6-2, 251 lbs and has worked on his blocking to become a much more complete tight end in the offseason. Hernandez will get all the hype heading into September, but by the time the Gators host the Razorbacks on Oct. 17, everybody in the nation will realize that Williams is the best tight end in the best conference in college football.