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Tennessee’s Hendon Hooker was considered a top quarterback in the 2023 NFL Draft. Some pundits even had Hooker as their No. 3 signal caller in the class, and he had an Over/Under draft ranking of 30.5 (via Caesars Sportsbook) . Many mock drafters had Hooker in the first round, but he fell in the third round and was selected by the Detroit Lions at No. 68 overall.
The Lions stepped up to grab Hooker over a few potential quarterback-needy teams like the Las Vegas Raiders and New Orleans Saints, but why did Hooker fall so far? Hooker’s stock appeared to be on the rise this month. In some taunts, he went as high as No. 11 overall to the Tennessee Titans, but the hometown Titans passed him twice — even selecting Kentucky quarterback Will Levis over him in the second round. Why did Hooker have to wait so long to hear his name called? Well, there are a number of possible reasons.
Hooker is already 25 years old and coming from a cruciate ligament tear. His maturity allowed him to stand out in pre-draft interviews, but does he have the kind of advantage the other quarterbacks have selected for him? As for the ACL, Hooker revealed this week that he will be fully cleared to play on September 1, but apparently that wasn’t enough to boost his supply. He is, of course, still recovering, and nothing is guaranteed at this point.
Perhaps the No. 1 reason Hooker fell further than expected was the offense in which he dominated. Josh Heupel pulled off one of the most deadly offensive attacks in college football last season. Tennessee averaged more yards per game than any team in the country (525.5) and scored more touchdowns than any team in the country (78). The Vols were even the No. 1 team in the College Football Playoff rankings at one point! The schedule was uptempo and was based on the spacing and speed of Vols playmakers like Biletnikoff winner Jalin Hyatt. This was not an offense where Hooker was under center, dropping back and rolling down the field through full progressions very often.
There are certainly teams that are more concerned about how Hooker will progress to the next level than others, but Hooker’s ability to buy into a system as a transfer and dominate should say something. The Vols went from 7-6 in 2021 to 11-2 in 2022 thanks to Hooker’s play.
For a prospect like Hooker, the landing area was always huge. The Lions are a solid team for these kinds of quarterbacks. First, Hooker is not expected to come in and start right away with Jared Goff after an impressive campaign in 2022. Additionally, this Lions offense was No. 4 in the league last year.
Detroit is a team on the rise. Can Goff get them where they want to go? We may find out in 2023. Otherwise, Hooker is a player to watch.
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