HBO Hard Knocks: Miami Dolphins Chris Hogan diamond in the rough?

It was revealed on HBO Hard Knocks that Miami Dolphins running back Reggie Bush has given Chris Hogan a nickname that should stick: 7-11. The nickname is due to the fact that the unheralded Hogan is almost always open during practice.

Thus, could Hogan be a diamond in the rough? Of course, the rough is very rough. He was a lacrosse player at Penn State before playing cornerback for just one season at Monmouth. That’s it.

The 23-year-old wide receiver was signed to a futures contract early in January and is a UDFA from last year. I mean, Undrafted University (gotta love that quote from Steve Gregory) is the only place one-year players go once they come into the NFL.

While Chris Hogan is a practice squad player, he’s impressed enough to at least warrant consideration for a spot on the practice squad. It’s not going to be easy, as Jeff Fuller, B.J. Cunningham, and Rishard Mathews are more than healthy competition. The Dolphins are extremely thin at wide receiver, and Hogan has already been on the practice squad.

As for being a “diamond”, that’s a stretch in terms of skill. However, consider where Hogan came from and how he has gotten into the league, he’s a diamond. He has been getting open in practice and has been a surprising bright spot; even Roberto Wallace was criticize heavily in practice on Hard Knocks.

Right now, Hogan is working with the second and thirds-stringers and has earned the praise of Ryan Tannehill as well. The rising receiver could get a shot with the starters down the road, and Hogan has a shot at making the 53-man roster if he can keep it up. It’s not a good shot, but there’s a chance.

Also, Michael Egnew has been terrible, as seen on Hard Knocks. Mike Sherman even yelled that he would cut the rookie TE if he was the GM. He’s lucky he has talent and was a high pick, because he hasn’t grasped the offense and has looked awful. Charles Clay and veteran Anthony Fasano are clearly the better players, and both make a nice duo of TEs with very different skill-sets. But that’s a piece for, perhaps, another day.

You can follow Joe Soriano on Twitter @SorianoJoe.