Hendon Hooker reacts to being drafted by Detroit Lions in third round of 2023 NFL Draft
Former Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker was one of the most electrifying signal-callers in the nation during the past two seasons with the Volunteers. On Friday night, the Detroit Lions finally made him their quarterback of the future, by picking him No. 68 overall in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft.
Once he was drafted, the dynamic dual-threat took some time to share his reaction to being picked by the Detroit Lions.
Check it out below.
“[I just want to be] a sponge, soak up as much information as I can, from anyone that I can. Whether that be a player, coach, front office. You know, you never know where you’re gonna get a life gem or just how to be a pro. So, anytime that I can get some information and get in that playbook. That’s what I’m gonna do,” Hooker said on Friday evening.
In being selected by the Lions with the No. 68 overall pick, Hooker became the highest quarterback selected by Detroit since the 2009 draft, when they picked Matthew Stafford. If he can eventually win the starting job, he’ll have a number of exciting weapons to work with in the Lions’ highly explosive offensive attack, including Jameson Williams, Amon-Ra St. Brown, and Jahmyr Gibbs.
Before going down with his ACL injury this season, Hooker completed 69.6 percent of his passes for 3,135 yards, while tossing 27 touchdowns and just two interceptions. As a runner, he had 104 carries for 430 rushing yards and five touchdowns. He was one of the nation’s leading Heisman candidates for much of the 2022 campaign and deservedly so.
It’ll be exciting to watch him develop in the NFL the next few years, once he recovers from his ACL surgery. His surgeon, Dr. Neal ElAttrache, recently sent a letter to all teams across the league. In the letter, he let teams know that Hooker is set to be cleared by the first weekend of the 2023 NFL season.
For his entire collegiate career, Hooker put up 11,053 total yards of offense. He completed 66.9% of his passes for 8,974 passing yards, while tossing in 80 touchdowns and just throwing 12 interceptions. Hooker also added 2,079 rushing yards and 25 touchdowns on the ground.
In the 2017 cycle, Hooker was rated as the No. 25 quarterback prospect in the country, according to the On3 Industry Rankings. He played his high school football for Dudley High School (Greensboro, North Carolina).
What NFL Draft Analysts are saying about Hendon Hooker
NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein provided the following analysis of Hooker, while also comparing him to Desmond Ridder of the Atlanta Falcons.
“Hooker’s age and ACL tear will be starting points for many draft conversations, but the most important question to be answered is whether he can thrive outside of the Tennessee offense,” Zierlein wrote. “Hooker was frequently a half-field reader, which means he could lean on spacing, speed and/or route combinations to make life easier. He’s more accurate outside the numbers than between the hashes and his deep ball placement was much more uneven than expected. However, Hooker plays with excellent poise and footwork as a pocket passer.
“He will make quarterback coaches and play-callers happy with his adherence to keeping plays on schedule. He’s still showing signs of improvement and growth at the position, and his ability to hurt teams with his legs creates opportunities to help his offense outside of what he does in the pocket. His recovery from the ACL tear will require monitoring, but he has the talent to become a starter in a timing-based, spread offense.”
On3’s Riley Gates also contributed to this article.