NFL insider offers interesting nugget about Hendon Hooker's potential landing spot in draft
The 2023 NFL Draft is just a few days which means Tennessee Vols fans will finally learn which team Hendon Hooker will be playing for in the NFL this fall. Hooker, who is recovering from a torn ACL he suffered last November in Tennessee's loss to the South Carolina Gamecocks, has seen his draft stock […]
The 2023 NFL Draft is just a few days which means Tennessee Vols fans will finally learn which team Hendon Hooker will be playing for in the NFL this fall.
Hooker, who is recovering from a torn ACL he suffered last November in Tennessee's loss to the South Carolina Gamecocks, has seen his draft stock rise in recent weeks.
That's mostly because the Greensboro, NC native has been incredibly impressive during visits/interviews with NFL teams.
This can be a strange time of year when it comes to reports about NFL teams' plans for the draft. There's a lot of misinformation that gets put out there (presumably to throw off other teams). Last year, for example, there was a lot of talk that Liberty quarterback Malik Willis could be a first-round selection. There were even rumors that he might go to the Carolina Panthers at No. 6 overall. Instead, Willis fell to the Tennessee Titans at No. 86 overall (third round).
The hype for Hooker that's been building over the last couple of weeks feels similar to the Willis hype from last year. That's not to compare Hooker to Willis or suggest that Hooker will suffer a similar fate as Willis a year ago, but the timing is similar.
With Hooker, though, the hype might be legit. ESPN NFL draft insider Todd McShay, one of the most well-connected draft analysts in the business, reported on Monday that he's hearing Hooker might not fall past No. 20 overall in the first round. And he also said he's heard that the Titans could be the team that drafts Hooker (if they decide to trade down in the first round).
From ESPN's Todd McShay: I keep hearing Hooker will get picked in the top 20. If Tennessee moves back — maybe to No. 17 in a swap with the OL-needy Steelers — that could be a team to watch. But Tampa Bay and Minnesota have been linked to him, as well.
We'll see how it plays out on Thursday night. The draft often gets wild and there are a lot of things said during the predraft process that don't always come to fruition once the draft actually gets underway.
Hooker, however, has a legitimate chance to become the first Tennessee quarterback selected in the first round since Peyton Manning in 1998.
