#StanfordNFL: Super Bowl LI#StanfordNFL: Super Bowl LI
Football

#StanfordNFL: Super Bowl LI

#StanfordNFL: Super Bowl LIJust over one year after declaring for the 2016 NFL Draft, rookie Austin Hooper will suit up for Atlanta in Super Bowl LI. Picked 81st overall in the third round last spring, Hooper stepped up after Jacob Tamme's shoulder injury in Week 8, finishing the regular season with 19 receptions for 271 yards and three touchdowns. He also helped Atlanta achieve the highest run-blocking grade in the regular season, per Pro Football Focus. Hooper is likely to face safety Patrick Chung in coverage – Chung graded out as the 86th-best regular-season safety out of 90 eligible players, while Hooper has caught all three deep targets for 120 yards and a score.

Atlanta's other primary tight end comes in the form of Levine Toilolo, who started 11 games in the regular season. Toilolo, who drew attention after his interview with Olympic gold medal-winning gymnast Simone Biles, finished with 13 catches for two touchdowns and a career-high 264 yards, while serving as the primary blocking tight end in the Falcons' ruthlessly balanced offense. Given Bill Belichick's penchant for taking away his opponents' top target, both Hooper and Toilolo could play pivotal roles in Atlanta's quest for a first Lombardi Trophy.


Three former-Cardinal ply their trade on the other side of the field with New England. As the Patriots' third tackle, Houston native Cameron Fleming has seen plenty of action over the course of the season, appearing on various power formations and making three starts. According to Fleming, he has not caught a pass since he was a tight end in middle school, but that could all change on Sunday. In 2005, Patriots tackle Tom Ashworth caught a goal-line touchdown from Brady, and Nate Solder scored on a 16-yard catch-and-run from Brady in a playoff game last season. Perhaps most notably, linebacker Mike Vrabel caught touchdown passes in consecutive Super Bowls, and with tight end Rob Gronkowski sidelined, Fleming could be the next surprise inclusion in Tom Brady's passing attack.

Second-year safety Jordan Richards appeared in 11 regular-season games for the Patriots in 2016, but a late-season injury has kept him inactive for the playoffs. That's not to say Richards hasn't been valuable to the organization – following New England's divisional round win against Houston, Richards, along with former Cardinal tailback Tyler Gaffney, was honored as one of the Patriots' practice players of the week.

Although he did not see a regular-season snap for the Patriots in 2016, Gaffney has played a crucial role in the team's Super Bowl run. Belichick publicly praised Gaffney a month ago, acknowledging the importance of the pummeling he takes in practice.