Hendon Hooker 2023 NFL Draft Profile
Vendetta Sports Media is bringing you the draft profiles for prospects entering the 2023 NFL Draft, and next on our list is former Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker. The Volunteer would have a prolific career at Tennessee and was on his way to being in Heisman contention before suffering an ACL tear late last season. What does his draft profile look like? Let’s talk about it.
We have to address the elephant in the room. Actually, there are two. That ACL tear and his age. An ACL tear is not something that is easy to recover from. The age draws some concerns as well, as Hooker turned 25 in January. A 25-year-old prospect isn’t terribly ideal, but hey, if Brandon Weeden can get drafted in the first round at age 26, anything is possible.
Now that we have those concerns discussed, let’s talk about the positives.
For starters, he has the build you look for when scouting a quarterback. At 6-foot-3, 217 pounds, he has the frame to stand up to hits in the pocket. He also has a good ability to move out of the pocket and make plays with his legs. His throws are always in rhythm. His footwork might be second-to-none in this year’s draft class as well. Smart decisions are second nature for Hendon Hooker, posting a 58:5 TD:INT ratio in his final two seasons at Tennessee. Incredibly smart at the line of scrimmage as well, almost like another former Tennessee QB.
I would argue his biggest knock is his ability to go through progressions. He was asked about this at the combine and gave a witty response, but it’s still an issue teams will have. His receivers at the next level won’t all have separation as they did at Tennessee. His accuracy between the hashes needs some work. Very inconsistent at times with his deep ball. He could also stand to improve his pocket awareness as well.
I have a day-two grade on Hendon Hooker. He shouldn’t make it out of the second round, and if the ACL wasn’t an issue he could possibly sniff the first round. He has a ton of tools that should excite NFL teams, and he should go to a team that has a guy in there now who is either aging or on the last year of their deal. Hooker won’t see the field this year, but come 2024, he should be ready to go.
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