NFL Draft analyst: 'Hendon Hooker is the second best quarterback in this draft'
There’s no question in the mind of Robert Turbin, the former NFL running back turned draft analyst. Tennessee’s Hendon Hooker is the second best quarterback in the 2023 NFL Draft and he’s not getting nearly enough buzz.
“I love his precision, his poise, his accuracy,” Turbin said of Hooker Wednesday. “Fellas, Hendon Hooker is the second best quarterback in this draft. What are talking about here? Why aren’t we talking about Hendon Hooker more in this draft?”
ESPN’s ranking of the best available players for the NFL Draft has Hooker ranked No. 5 among quarterbacks — Alabama’s Bryce Young is No. 1, ahead of Stroud, Florida’s Anthony Richardson and Kentucky’s Will Levis — and ranked No. 33 overall with an 86 grade.
Robert Turbin: Hendon Hooker is ‘even better than CJ Stroud’
“He’s even better than CJ Stroud in my opinion,” Turnbin said. “Are we paying attention to what he did in college football last season? The record, (the) 68.9 percent (completion) percentage. They were 9-1 heading into that game, before he was injured. Fifth in the nation head into that game before he was injured.”
Hooker completed 69.6 percent of his passes in 11 games at Tennessee last season, throwing for 3,135 yards, 27 touchdowns and two interceptions. He tore his ACL on November 19 at South Carolina after leading the Vols to an 8-0 start to the season and a No. 1 ranking in the first College Football Playoff Top 25 of the season.
In two seasons with the Vols, after transferring from Virginia Tech, Hooker passed for 6,080 yards, 58 touchdowns and just five interceptions. He completed 68.8 percent of his 632 pass attempts in Josh Heupel’s uptempo spread offense.
“Listen, before the ACL, he was arguably the best quarterback in the nation,” Turbin said of Hooker, who on Wednesday started dropping back for the first time since suffering the injury five months ago. “Him and Bryce Young neck and neck. The fact that we’re not talking about him being higher in this draft is illegal, in my opinion. He’s the second best QB in this draft. I’m excited for him.”
NFL Draft: First Round, Thursday, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN or NFL Network
ESPN analyst NFL Draft analyst and former NFL general manager Mike Tannenbaum is just as excited about Hooker’s potential. A month ago, Tannenbaum projected Hooker as the No. 5 overall pick to the Seattle Seahawks.
“While other quarterbacks in this class will get more hype,” Tannebaum wrote, “Hooker could ultimately be a 10-year starter in the NFL.”
Most projections have Hooker as a late pick in the first round at the earliest.
Todd McShay and Mel Kiper Jr.’s three-round mock draft last week, which included the two ESPN draft analysts alternating picks, had Hooker at No. 37 overall, going to the Seattle Seahawks early in the second round.
“This is where I’d feel comfortable taking Hooker if I were running a draft room,” Kiper said. “Seattle was able to fill defensive holes with its top two picks, and now it can try for its quarterback of the future. Ge
