The pair has held a personal competition over the past four years in which they keep a running tally of how many tackles they lay in a season.
Howlett's five tackles in Essendon's 50-point drubbing of Richmond have taken him to 45 tackles for the year, five shy of Hocking's 50.
"Me and him are pretty competitive. He usually gets a tagging role so he gets plenty of tackles that way," Howlett told AFL.com.au.
"It's just good to have a little competition like that to drive yourself forward in games."
Not that Howlett needed any motivation on Saturday night, as he kicked a career-high five goals and collected 25 disposals in an effort which saw him unlucky not to be awarded the Yiooken Medal for best afield.
That honour went to teammate Brendon Goddard, who won the medal on a countback, after he, Howlett and Bombers captain Jobe Watson finished in a three-way tie.
Howlett's scoreboard presence was an unlikely boost for the Bombers, who kicked 15.14 (104) on the night – the club's highest score since its thumping round three win over Carlton.
The Bomber midfielder also kicked one of the easiest goals he is ever likely to kick, when he intercepted a shanked cross-goal switch attempt from Tiger backman Alex Rance.
"I was actually out of position. My opponent was about to get the ball, so I put my head down and lucky enough it turned into a gimme goal," Howlett said.
"You sometimes get them, and I'll certainly take it."
Nicknamed the 'Bobcat', for the way he smashes into packs, coach Mark Thompson said Howlett set the tone early.
Not only did the Bombers have almost 60 more possessions than the Tigers, but they also out-tackled their opponents 65-50.
The 25-year-old was a key part of the club's lift in pressure, an area that let Essendon down in its disappointing 50-point loss to the Sydney Swans in round nine.
The inside midfielder was rested for the Swans clash and given a high-intensity training program to boost his fitness levels over the bye, and his inclusion added extra grunt around the stoppages for the Bombers.
"He's tough and tenacious and he has no fear," Thompson said of Howlett.
"He was into everything early. Boy, he came out and set standards and was fast and intense."
Twitter: @AFL_BenGuthrie
