Latest draft prediction from ESPN has new landing spot for Vols QB Hendon Hooker
Tennessee Vols quarterback Hendon Hooker has seen his draft stock rise significantly over the last couple of months despite not being able to participate in pre-draft workouts. Hooker tore his ACL last November in the Vols' loss to the South Carolina Gamecocks. He's maintained, however, that he'll be ready for the start of the 2023 […]
Tennessee Vols quarterback Hendon Hooker has seen his draft stock rise significantly over the last couple of months despite not being able to participate in pre-draft workouts.
Hooker tore his ACL last November in the Vols' loss to the South Carolina Gamecocks. He's maintained, however, that he'll be ready for the start of the 2023 season.
The former Tennessee standout has seen his draft stock climb thanks to the way he's impressed teams during pre-draft visits.
Hooker has gone from a likely second-round or third-round pick to a potential first-round pick over the last couple of months. In fact, ESPN's latest prediction for Hooker has the former Vol going to the Houston Texans with the No. 27 overall pick (ESPN thinks Houston will make a trade to land the No. 27 pick).
From ESPN: The big question is why Houston would not just draft a quarterback at No. 2 overall, rather than trade away draft capital to select QB5 in the class here? Well, the move could make sense if the Texans have Will Anderson Jr. graded ahead of the top available quarterbacks at No. 2 and don't have a big difference in grade on Hooker compared to those other passers. They could land the top non-QB in the class in Anderson, a playmaker on either side of the ball at No. 12 (maybe a receiver) and then get a potential franchise QB here. And with 12 draft picks, the Texans can afford to be aggressive.
Hooker is certainly building some first-round momentum, but ultimately it's impossible to predict if he'll go that high. We've seen plenty of quarterbacks build momentum late in the process and still fall in the draft (Malik Willis a year ago, for example).
Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel doesn't know where Hooker will be drafted, but he's confident that his former quarterback will have a successful NFL career.
“Hendon’s going to be a great player at that level," said Heupel on Wednesday in Nashville. "No doubt about it. He’s smart, he’s accurate, he’s competitive. He’s a dynamic leader on and off the field. He’s going to find a way to make it work. He’ll be a great player.”
The first round of the 2023 NFL Draft kicks off next week on Thursday night in Kansas City.
