The New York Giants selected Od Dominion defensive back Tre Hawkins III with the 209th overall pick in the sixth round of the 2023 NFL draft.
Not much about Hawkins was known to the common fan before the draft other than he had met with the Giants.
Here’s what some experts said about Hawkins before the draft.
Back Sports Page
From Back Sports Page:
Overall, Hawkins is your ideal built Cornerback for today’s NFL. Listed at 6’3” 195 pounds that can run, and is not afraid of contact. Although Hawkins did not receive an invite to the NFL Scouting Combine, he put on a show at his Pro Day last week.
Hawkins ran a 4.39 40-yard dash–which would’ve been top-10 at the combine. Managed to do 17 reps in the bench press, 6.74 in the 3-Cone Drill (both would’ve been 2nd at the Combine). Finally, a 37.5 inch vertical and a 4.22 in the 20-yard shuttle.
Hawkins is a very physical cornerback who works well press coverage, and can also adapt to other coverages like a cover 2 or cover 3. Tackling won’t be an issue for Hawkins either so whatever team decides to take a chance on him knows exactly where to line him up.
The one downside, if you even want to call it a downside is the lack of production as far as interceptions. Hawkins only recorded two in two seasons at ODU, but his physicality makes up for it. Hawkins recently had a top 30 visit with the Indianapolis Colts so he is rising on the draft boards.
CBS Sports
From CBS Sports:
Tre Hawkins III is a big cornerback who builds speed quickly. He does a good job of staying in-phase up the boundary but gets stuck at the top of his drops. Hawkins can do a better job of getting his eyes back to the ball in man coverage. He has a high cut frame that can lead to slower change of direction.
NFL Network's Lance Zierlein
From Zierlein:
Hawkins will be a project for teams interested in press corners with above-average athletic traits. He’s given up a lot of touchdowns, but those issues were often due to a lack of awareness and ball skills at the finish line. He showed off speed, suddenness and explosive leaping ability at his pro day, but those elements don’t show up on tape often enough due to a lack of instincts as a playmaker. There are some tools to tinker with, but Hawkins will need to make significant strides in his development to make a team.
Pro Football Network
From Pro Football Network:
Strengths: Nice-sized corner coming off a disappointing season. Aggressive, stays with assignments, and gives a lot of effort defending the run. Quick flipping his hips in transition, fluid moving around the field, and has a burst to the ball out of his plant. Effective facing the action and quickly locates the ball or action.
Weaknesses: Must improve his backpedal. Lacks deep speed. Didn’t show much improvement last season.
Overall: Hawkins possesses next-level length and has shown solid ball skills over the past two years. He lacks Sunday speed, but he could be used in a zone system facing the action.
The Athletic's Dane Brugler
From Brugler:
Larry “Tre” Hawkins III was a decorated athlete (football and track) at Temple High. He finished his senior season with 60 tackles and two interceptions. He was forced to go the juco route out of high school and played two seasons at Trinity Valley Community in east Texas. He signed with Old Dominion in the 2020 recruiting class, but that season was wiped out because of the pandemic. Hawkins started all 25 games the past two seasons and made noticeable improvements as a senior (his penalties dropped from six to only one in 2022). He has a tall, long and limber body type with the gather-and-go skills to quickly transition vertically and stay attached to receivers. His long speed is impressive, but his average lateral agility will put him in recovery mode and shows up as a tackler. Overall, Hawkins will get clingy and needs to improve his play recognition, but he passes the eye test with flying colors and has the athletic profile NFL teams will want to develop.
