Table of Contents
Hendon Hooker is fluid on the soccer industry and cell in NFL assembly rooms, the place he is been hurdling problems about his age, wellbeing and enjoying model.
The 25-12 months-previous previous Tennessee quarterback who tore the ACL in his remaining knee a lot less than 5 months ago has used his predraft visits with groups conveying the complexity of the Volunteers’ seemingly simplistic distribute offense. It is 1 that has lifted considerations about how his match will translate to the pros, the place he’ll have to study the overall discipline and not lock in on his primary focus on so considerably.
“I can make any throw,” Hooker stated. “The way we operate our offense, the huge splits, those people are all developed-gentlemen throws. I am not throwing any 5-lawn outs. Individuals are all massive-boy balls.”
Hooker pounces at thoughts about how he’ll do in a pro style offense.
“I won’t be able to assist that defenders are unable to guard my receivers. My job is to get them the ball,” Hooker claimed. “A ton of these concerns about just one-sided reads, we have pure progressions and routes. It’s not my fault that my initially read is having open up.”
Hooker figures to be the fifth quarterback chosen in the NFL draft
And really don’t be fooled, Hooker included, you will find a good deal heading on underneath that neat demeanor of his that will make it appear to be like he’s just leisurely enjoying catch.
Hooker figures to be the fifth quarterback picked in the NFL draft later on this month, guiding guaranteed-hearth first-rounders Bryce Younger, C.J. Stroud, Will Levis and Anthony Richardson.
“I actually like Hendon Hooker,” NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah mentioned, citing his precision, acumen and adjustability.
Hooker’s age – he’ll change 26 by the close of his rookie season – and overall health – he tore the ACL in his left knee in a activity against South Carolina on Nov. 19 – have several predicting that he’ll slide into the next spherical. But Jeremiah has him likely to the Vikings at No. 23 in his latest mock draft.
Patrick Mahomes is just two a long time older than Hooker
The 2022 SEC Offensive Player of the 12 months put in 3 several years at Virginia Tech and the very last two at Tennessee.
Patrick Mahomes is just two years older than Hooker but has by now played 6 NFL seasons and received a pair of Super Bowl rings. Jalen Hurts is 24 and has three years’ NFL experience and a Tremendous Bowl visual appeal.
“If you told me you draft Hendon Hooker in the second spherical and he is your starting up quarterback or seven, 8 really excellent yrs, I believe you acquire it,” Jeremiah mentioned. “I assume Hendon Hooker has a probability to be a actual benefit decide on for another person.”
Hooker could finish up sitting a 12 months at the rear of an established starter, too, anything that would assuage any considerations about his surgically repaired knee.
The additional urgent issue is how Hooker’s match will translate to the next level after functioning in Tennessee’s tremendous spread offense, in which he experienced to get the ball out lickety-break up and not often arrived off his initial read.
Placing that model apart, “I’ll just say when you are evaluating him, the precision, the final decision-earning, the poise, the athleticism to be equipped to transfer close to and build with his legs, to toss as well as to run, all individuals things are all there,” Jeremiah siad.
At Tennessee, Hooker was what scouts connect with a “half-subject reader.”
ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay figures that was much more a item of Josh Heupel’s offense than a flaw in Hooker’s activity.
“The stories from each workforce I’ve talked to about him is he’s accomplished a wonderful position receiving on the board and understands concepts and can go again to his Virginia Tech playbook and recite everything like he was playing in it yesterday,” McShay stated. “That is portion of why it can be so important with the quarterbacks to have person time, non-public workouts, personal meetings, to genuinely analyze their mind and how they understand.”
Hooker relished exhibiting off his football acumen on the white boards.
“Any time I walk past a mirror and you can find an Expo marker, I am likely to attract on the mirror,” Hooker mentioned. “That is just a thing I enjoy accomplishing simply because I like the recreation of soccer.”
Heupel said the offense Hooker was requested to operate at Tennessee was not as simplistic as it appeared.
“I’m not guaranteed any individual in university soccer has far more on their plate than Hendon does,” Heupel said. “Then, you toss in the tempo that we play at, you have obtained to be a swift conclusion-maker, you have obtained to figure out defensive composition very immediately. … He controlled the overall match on every solitary engage in. I think that places him in a terrific situation to be ready to changeover at the subsequent level and deal with all that’s coming at him.”
Heupel mentioned the intangibles these types of as leadership and charisma are what will make Hooker somebody’s franchise quarterback.
“I have never been about any person which is been a stronger or additional impactful chief than Hendon Hooker is,” Heupel reported. “Our plan is not in which it is really at currently unless Hendon is a element of our locker home.”