FLOWERY BRANCH — In 2017, Falcons guard Chris Lindstrom was playing for Boston College and was lined up across from Parker Hesse.
Boston College was facing Iowa in the Pinstripe Bowl, and Hesse was a defensive end.
After four years of toiling in the NFL trenches, Hesse now is a converted tight end and made the Falcons’ initial 53-man roster Tuesday. Now Lindstrom and Hesse will block on the same line.
“It’s amazing,” Lindstrom said. “We played each other. Actually, he was a (defensive) lineman in the Pinstripe Bowl in 2017. So, we got to play each other, offense, defense. We kind of joke about that now.”
Lindstrom has watched as Hesse put in the work to become a tight end.
“It’s awesome,” Lindstrom said. “He’s a great guy. Just the changes that he’s made are really admirable.”
Hesse, 6-foot-3 and 261 pounds, used to terrorize quarterbacks in the Big Ten. He played in 52 games for the Hawkeyes, had 181 tackles, 30.5 tackles for loss and 13.5 sacks.
He signed with the Titans after the 2019 draft and was converted to tight end. He spent most of 2019 and 2020 on the Titans’ practice squad. He signed with the Falcons in 2021 and played in eight games. He made one start last season.
This will be his first time opening the season on a 53-man roster.
“Fortunately, this is my fourth year playing tight end, so it’s almost as much as I was playing defense in college,” Hesse said. “So, it’s starting to come naturally to me, and that’s just credit to the coaches, pretty much, that I’ve had the last four years, that have spent time developing me, teaching me.”
Hesse also paid attention to his teammates.
“The guys I’ve been able to watch do it,” Hesse said. “That has really helped me kind of understand and develop those skills.”
Hesse caught five of six targets for 43 yards last season. He has enjoyed working with Falcons tight ends coach Justin Peelle.
“That’s something that’s really underrated,” Hesse said. “When you have a coach that’s played the position for a long time. He knows exactly what every route, what every block is like.”
Peelle has quietly pushed Hesse.
“He can tell you honestly like, ‘Hey, this is stressful’ or ‘This situation we need you to win every single time,’” Hesse said. “Stuff like that. And then just his attitude. He’s not someone that’s too high, too low. He’s all about just sticking to it and being in the moment.”
As one of the Falcons’ projected starters, Hesse didn’t have to play in the final exhibition game Saturday against the Jaguars.
“I mean, obviously, that’s been a goal of mine (to become a starter),” Hesse said. “Anybody who plays football at a young age, gets to play in college, and you want your career to keep progressing. You want to have those opportunities.”
Lee Smith, who played the Falcons’ main blocking tight-end role, retired after last season. That opened a spot on the roster.
“I’ve just been fortunate this year, kind of finding myself with opportunities to go out there and prove what I can do,” Hesse said.
There were struggles initially.
“Coming from playing on the (defensive) line, you don’t do a whole lot of like standing up, linear running,” Hesse said. “So running routes is obviously something I still have a long ways to go. But that was the most challenging. You know, obviously, (in) the run game, defeating a block with people trying to block you for four years, you kind of understand what they’re doing.”
The blocking came a little bit more naturally.
“But, yeah, just being up, route changes, tops of routes, coming back to the ball, that sort of stuff has been the biggest adjustment,” Hesse said.
Catching passes hasn’t been an issue.
“I always joke that it’s not as hard to catch it as it is just to get open against the guys that play defense,” Hesse said. “Quarterbacks in the NFL, they throw great balls. But the challenge is getting open in the NFL. That’s what every offensive skill player has to be able to do.”
Hesse plans to be a key part of the revamped Falcons’ offense.
“Just have an identity,” Hesse said. “Have something that we can lean on or we can hang our hats on. ... If we have an identity, for something that we know who we are, when things aren’t going good, or when we’re starting to score as a team, we can say, ‘Hey, this is who we’re going to be. This is how we’re going to come back’ or ‘This is how we’re going to put this game away.’”
Peelle is looking forward to watching Hesse in action.
“Parker has improved a bunch,” Peelle said.
Hesse is elated that all of his hard work has led him to the field.
“I always tell them it ain’t that hard,” Hesse said. “If you really like football, just pay attention, no matter what position you’re in. If you just stay focused and show up every day, that’s going to put you in the best chance to have an opportunity, no matter what position you play.”
Todd Downing, then Tennessee’s tight ends coach, was attending Iowa’s Pro Day to work out tight ends T.J. Hockenson and Noah Fant. Hockenson went eighth overall in the draft to the Lions, and Fant went 20th to the Broncos.
But it was Hesse who caught Downing’s attention and earned a tryout with the Titans.
“He liked him,” Falcons coach Arthur Smith said. “We brought him in for a look. The guy has hung around and come up the hard way. He’s made a lot of improvement.”
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