Quick Facts
Biography
James Hanna (born July 14, 1989) is an American football tight end for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Cowboys in the sixth round (186th overall) of the 2012 NFL Draft. Hanna played college football at Oklahoma.
Draft Stock
2012 NFL Draft
| Ht | Wt | Arm length | Hand size | 40-yd dash | 10-yd split | 20-yd split | 20-ss | 3-cone | Vert | Broad | BP | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 4 in | 252 lb | 33 1/8 in | 9 7/8 in | 4.49 s | 1.57 s | 2.67 s | 4.11 s | 6.76 s | 36 in | 10 ft 2 in | 24 reps | ||||||||
| All values from NFL Combine | |||||||||||||||||||
His stock in the 2012 NFL Draft was greatly improved by his combine performance.
Professional career
Dallas Cowboys
Hanna was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the sixth round (186th overall) of the 2012 NFL Draft. Although he became a core special teams player and finished fifth on the team with 10 tackles as a rookie, his progress in the offense was slow until the 2014 season, when he found a role as a point-of-attack blocker and helped DeMarco Murray become the NFL leading rusher. He also finished second on the team with 12 special teams tackles.
In 2015, he sprained the medial collateral ligament in his left knee during the first preseason game against the San Diego Chargers, slowing him down in training camp. After playing in the season opener, the injury forced him to miss the second game against the Philadelphia Eagles and to have surgery on September 21. He was declared inactive for the fifth game against the New England Patriots. During the season, he was able to play through knee and ankle injuries, while continuing to improve his run blocking and help Darren McFadden rush for 1,000 yards for just the second time in his career.
On March 11, 2016, he signed a three-year contract as a free agent to remain with the Cowboys. He was diagnosed with a bone bruise in his right knee at the start of training camp, that required him to have surgery and be placed on the physical unable to perform list. The injury was more serious than expected and he had a second surgery in November, effectively ending his season.