Former NFL head coach and offensive guru Marc Trestman is evaluating the top quarterbacks in the 2023 NFL Draft. This is the fourth in a series of his evaluations.
Others in Series:
As the 2023 NFL Draft approaches, four quarterbacks have been consistently discussed as top-10 picks, with the rest of the QB class fighting for the No. 5 spot. After looking at five games on tape of Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker (scouting report), I believe he deserves to be mentioned alongside C.J. Stroud (scouting report), Bryce Young (scouting report), Anthony Richardson (scouting report) and Will Levis (scouting report).
Hooker was considered the Heisman Trophy favorite well into this past season before sustaining an ACL tear vs. South Carolina on Nov. 19. In spite of the late-season injury, Hooker earned SEC Offensive Player of the Year honors after throwing 27 touchdowns with — incredibly — only two interceptions. He showed high-end passing efficiency by completing 69.6 percent of his passes through 11 games.
The accolades came in 2022, but Hooker was just as productive through his 11 starts in 2021, as he threw 31 touchdowns, three interceptions and completed 68 percent of his passes.
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I watched five games of Hooker’s 2022 season, and the tape validated his ability to play at the NFL level.
Hendon Hooker Evaluation
2022 Games Watched
- Alabama
- Kentucky
- Georgia
- Missouri
- South Carolina
Hooker’s Credentials
It’s important to understand the context of Hooker’s offensive support system and the scheme he played in.
The 25-year-old entered college in 2017 and played for four years at Virginia Tech before transferring to Tennessee for two seasons. While he started 15 games in Blacksburg, he was never the unquestioned starter.
In Josh Heupel’s first season as Tennessee’s coach in 2021, he recruited Hooker to compete for the starting job with Joe Milton. Milton won the job initially, but Hooker entered the fray in Week 3 and seized the role, starting the final 11 games. As the draft vetting process continues, it would be interesting to speak with Heupel to understand why he initially decided to start Milton.
While at Tennessee, Hooker played in what can only be described as a pure college offense, consisting of quick screens, quick slants, intermediate hitches, basic crosses (midfield benders) and outside lane go routes. Heupel’s conviction and discipline to run these same plays over and over again lead to high-end production with Hooker in complete control of the offense.
In Knoxville, Hooker operated solely in the shotgun as a drop-back passer. In the five games I studied, there were essentially no plays called having him move outside the pocket to deliver the football. This is rarely seen at the college or NFL level.
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A significant amount of Hooker’s throws in 2022 were off zero- (catch-plant-throw) or one-step drops. The offense had a minimal amount of three- or five-step shotgun principles (14.1 percent of the time, per Sports Info Solutions).
The Heupel offense is a well-designed, visually simplistic offense built for the time constraints of college football. Because pass concepts were kept to a minimum, the offense consistently executed plays and gave Hooker and his receivers the repetitions necessary to play at a high level. Heupel did an excellent job of making it easy for the quarterback by spreading receivers out the width of the field, allowing Hooker to make quick reads, and cutting the field in half pre-snap or at the snap of the ball.
I do not believe the simplicity of the offense is a reflection of Hooker’s football intelligence. He is unquestionably in control of the offensive line, making protection changes and audibles. Visiting with NFL coaches certainly will bring clarity here.
Hooker’s Arm Talent, Accuracy
Most coaches and evaluators will tell you accuracy is arguably the most important trait for a quarterback. Hooker is consistently accurate in the short and intermediate areas of the field while executing Heupel’s pass concepts, and that starts with his clean mechanics.
After taking the snap, Hooker stages the ball beautifully, with the upper tip of the ball at the ‘V’ of his neck. His footwork is simple, compact and consistent with no wasted motion, and he’s always positioned in an athletic stance with a strong base.
Hooker has a beautiful, repeatable over-the-top motion and has the flexibility in his ankles to open his left side and square his hips to the target. He is a natural passer with an explosive motion. The ball gets up and out quickly, and he follows through and finishes his throwing motion through his left side. These throwing fundamentals account for high-end accuracy. While he doesn’t use multiple arm angles, Hooker’s consistency with his high-speed, quick twitch, over-the-top delivery is fun to watch.
When the ball comes out of Hooker’s hand, it’s typically a fastball. The nature of the Tennessee passing game has turned him into a passer with superior NFL arm talent. Hopefully, evaluators get the opportunity to watch enough tape and project his ability to change speeds and quiet the ball on shorter throws.
In the rare opportunities he has to change speeds or put more touch on passes, it doesn’t appear he has the same high-level accuracy. I tend to believe he can change trajectory and velocity, and moving into an NFL-style offense will allow him to get the reps necessary to do so.
The other area he will improve on is the vertical go ball. There were simply too many misses in the five games I watched, although many of them were due to the wider-than-normal splits of the Tennessee wide receivers lined up outside the numbers. With tighter splits and improved receiver talent around him in the NFL, Hooker should improve dramatically in this area.
To be a franchise quarterback, one must win games in the two-minute drill. This means dropping back, seeing the field, making good decisions, delivering accurately, using one’s legs to extend drives, and, most importantly, showing the “it factor” — the intangibles to give the team hope and make the plays when the team needs you the most.
In the 2022 game against Alabama, with the score 49-49, Hooker took his team down the field with two accurately thrown deep in routes with 15 and 9 seconds remaining, respectively, to get his team in field-goal range for the win.
Hooker’s Athleticism, Escapability
While Hooker was recruited out of Greensboro, N.C., as a dual-threat quarterback, he’s really a pure pocket passer.
In the pocket, Hooker’s strong 6-foot-3, 217-pound frame allows him to feel comfortable under pressure. His courage and toughness to stand in and deliver in the chaos of the pocket are unquestioned. He made throws with immediate pressure, showing the strength to keep his base and finish his throws.
Hooker also demonstrated the ability to instinctively slide his feet and step up to the quiet areas of the pocket, but his natural instincts are to stay in the pocket as long as possible. When leaving the pocket to extend the play, Hooker only delivered the football on two occasions through five games. There aren’t many examples of him making the awkward throws or special plays outside the pocket that elite quarterbacks make over the course of a game.
Hooker is a sufficient but non-explosive runner. He will leave the pocket to run, but there are few if any times when he delivers the ball once outside the pocket. Hopefully, there is enough evidence of his ability to throw on the move outside the pocket across the rest of Hooker’s body of work.
Hooker’s Poise, Football Intelligence
From a football intelligence perspective, Hooker is an interesting case study.
He processes quickly to make immediate, good decisions by getting the ball up and out quickly and protecting the football. A true test of a quarterback’s accuracy is his ability, like a pitcher in baseball, to put the ball on the black of the plate. Hooker faced an inordinate amount of man coverage in 2022 and consistently beat tight coverage with precise location. He also showed good spatial awareness, calmness in the pocket and extreme poise in chaotic situations.
Because of the nature of Tennessee’s offense, there is little evidence of Hooker finishing his progressions to flare control receivers, but it does show up. Coaching, football intelligence and ability will help him get there. There are rare indicators he can do it, and he likely will in the NFL.
His Ability Offers Food for Thought
It is unfortunate Hooker was injured throughout the pre-draft process because his ability to throw more pro-style concepts and route combinations at the Senior Bowl and combine would have been a key piece of his evaluation for NFL teams.
Teams will consider Hooker’s advanced age (25), recent injury history (ACL tear) and how comfortable they are with him adjusting to their offense over the next few months as they decide how high they’re willing to draft him.
There is no question Hooker can spin the ball. The ball is up and out as well as any quarterback in the draft, and he has two years of exceptional accuracy in the SEC. On tape, it’s arguable he’s a better passer than some of the quarterbacks consistently mocked above him.
I’ve never evaluated a player like Hooker where through five games there was so little production outside the pocket. Yet, with high-end NFL arm talent, toughness and sufficient athleticism, he is an interesting talent.
I would love to coach a player with Hooker’s ability, and his arm talent, poise, decision-making and mechanics give him a foundation to become an NFL quarterback.
Marc Trestman is a former NFL, CFL and college coach. He coached in four Grey Cups in the CFL, winning three over seven years with Montreal and Toronto before becoming head coach of the Chicago Bears. Follow him on Twitter at @CoachTrestman.
