Hanna attended Coram Deo Academy where he played six-man football at wide receiver, helping the team achieve a 9-2 and an 11-1 record in his two years there.

After his sophomore season he transferred to Flower Mound High School, where he played the traditional eleven-man football at wide receiver.

Hanna was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the sixth round (186th overall) of the 2012 NFL draft, to improve the depth at the tight end position after losing Martellus Bennett in free agency.

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.

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.

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.