Tech's Hawes picked in fifth round of NFL Draft by Buffalo Bills

The call that football players dream about came for Georgia Tech tight end Jackson Hawes on Saturday afternoon as he was drafted by the Buffalo Bills with the 173rd overall pick in the fifth round of the NFL Draft.

Hawes spent one season with the Jackets after transferring from Yale where he played from 2019-2023. In 2024 for Tech, Hawes played in 12 games and started 10 of those while compiling 16 catches for 195 yards while excelling as a blocker. He ranked first in the ACC and eighth nationally in PFF in both run blocking and pass blocking with grades of 74.7 and 74.9 grades, respectively.

Previously at Yale Hawes played in 29 total games and had 35 catches for 371 yards and six touchdowns. He chose Yale out of high school as he was unranked by Rivals as a weakside defensive end prospect out of Highland High in Salt Lake City, Utah in the 2019 class with his only other reported offer coming from Air Force.

Hawes turned heads with his performance at practice at the Reese's Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama back in late January and then had another strong effort at the NFL Scouting Combine in late February in Indianapolis.

Hawes is the lone Georgia Tech player to selected in this year's draft thus far.