The Tennessee Titans drafted running back Hassan Haskins in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL draft, and while he hasn’t seen much work as a running back, he has made an impact in another area.
According to Kayla Anderson of 104.5 The Zone, Haskins has recorded a total of 11 special teams tackles in 146 special teams snaps this season, which is tops in the NFL.
We saw Haskins in full force in Week 9 against the Kansas City Chiefs on a kickoff that saw the rookie blow up his blocker en route to making a tackle that energized the entire Tennessee sideline.
Everyone on the @Titans was fired up for Hassan Haskins’ special teams tackle
: #TENvsKC on NBC
: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/ExOeMHivBX pic.twitter.com/moijiYh6hW
— NFL (@NFL) November 7, 2022
There is nothing head coach Mike Vrabel likes more than a good special teams play, so he must have been loving that. Haskins’ contributions on special teams don’t stop there, though.
The Michigan product has also been an effective kicker returner, with his 22 yards per return ranking ninth in the NFL among players with at least five attempts.
What makes Haskins’ performance on returns even more impressive is that the rookie didn’t do it in college, so this is something new for him that he figures to only get better at.
Haskins has seen just 55 offensive snaps this season, turning them into 10 carries for 42 yards and three receptions for seven yards. His lack of usage isn’t exactly surprising, though, with Derrick Henry gobbling up so many touches and Dontrell Hilliard playing well when given opportunities.
Haskins will likely have to wait for more chances at the actual running back spot until 2023 at the earliest (barring injury), but his ability to play both sides of special teams means he can stick in the NFL even if things don’t work out there.