QB Hendon Hooker Falls to 'Perfect Situation' with Detroit Lions
Analysis 4/29/23
Will Levis (scouting report) wasn't the only highly rated quarterback who experienced a fall during the 2023 NFL Draft.
Tennessee's Hendon Hooker (scouting report), who was also viewed as a potential first-round pick, waited until midway through Friday night before the Detroit Lions traded up to select him with the fifth pick (68th overall) of the third round. Levis, who some considered a top-10 pick, slid to the second pick of the second round.
The 33rd Team's scouting department rated Hooker the 22nd overall prospect, but the quarterback's age (25) and a serious knee injury (torn ACL) sustained in November likely impacted his draft position.
Still, Hooker finds himself in what longtime NFL coach and The 33rd Team analyst Mike Martz called a "perfect situation."
"It lets him recover and gives him a year to learn and get ready," Martz said. "It's perfect for him — even though he may not realize it now. Hooker to Detroit is a great pick. And it's great for Hooker."
Hooker will back up Jared Goff, who reached his third Pro Bowl after Detroit went 9-8 in 2022 and is under contract for two more seasons. After two somewhat down seasons, Goff had one of his best campaigns this past season, completing 65 percent of his passes for 4,438 yards, 29 touchdowns and only seven interceptions.
Goff's cap hit is approximately $31 million in both seasons, but the Lions don't owe him any bonus money beyond 2023. So it's plausible Hooker could compete for the starting job as soon as 2024.
"This is a great pick," said Clay Harbor, an analyst for The 33rd Team and former NFL tight end. "Obviously Jared Goff is your guy this year, maybe next year. But now Hendon Hooker gets to learn, he gets to heal, and he gets to come up slowly, learn the playbook and how to be a pro. Your future quarterback can come up slowly."
Hooker said he is looking forward to learning everything he can from the eight-year pro.
"I'm definitely going to be picking his brain as much as I can," Hooker said in a news conference after he was selected. "I'm going to get annoying to him a little bit, but I'm just that type of person. I just want to get in and do my job and continue to get better day by day."
Hooker was lauded for his leadership abilities at Tennessee, and despite his injury, he went to the Senior Bowl and the NFL Combine to participate in the interviews and off-field activities.
When Martz broke down Hooker's game, he came away impressed with his accuracy, intelligence and toughness.
"There is nothing in him that is delayed or searching. He's really highly disciplined, he gets through things quickly," Martz noted. "Mechanically he's almost perfect. He's got a great base, he always fights to keep himself balanced. You never see his feet come together. He has really strong legs, you never see his legs come together and he's got really good quickness. He's really a balanced and accurate guy.
"His ball location shocked me. I've not seen a college quarterback like this before where the ball is always on the body or out in front of him where he can make the catch. As a passer, I think his skills are impeccable."
Hooker's statistics reflected that. He played sparingly in two seasons at Virginia Tech before transferring to Tennessee in 2021. During his final two seasons, he completed nearly 70 percent of his passes for 6,081 yards, 58 touchdowns and just five interceptions.
"The intelligence part of it is fun to watch," Martz added. "You never see the helmet searching around. He's very disciplined in what he's looking at and he gets right out of it and goes to the next thing. He'll either check it down or run with it. ... There is no hesitation in anything that he does. His game speed is headed toward the game speed of the NFL. His ability to get the ball out of there fast is really dynamic.
"Physically, we know he's tough. That's evident."
Hooker is the highest-drafted quarterback by the Lions since they selected Matthew Stafford first overall in 2009.