Medical doctor provides big reason why NFL teams should be optimistic about Hendon Hooker's ACL recovery
Tennessee Vols quarterback Hendon Hooker might be viewed as a potential top-10 selection in the 2023 NFL Draft if not for the torn ACL he suffered in UT's loss to the South Carolina Gamecocks last November. Hooker was on his way to being a Heisman Trophy finalist — many considered him the front-runner for the […]
Tennessee Vols quarterback Hendon Hooker might be viewed as a potential top-10 selection in the 2023 NFL Draft if not for the torn ACL he suffered in UT's loss to the South Carolina Gamecocks last November.
Hooker was on his way to being a Heisman Trophy finalist — many considered him the front-runner for the award — before his unfortunate injury in Columbia.
Because of the injury, Hooker has been unable to take part in predraft workouts (though he threw some passes while standing stationary at Tennessee's Pro Day last month).
Hooker told USA Today last week that his knee is at "75 percent" and he expects to be cleared by September 1. That doesn't necessarily mean he'll be ready for the season opener since that timeline would indicate that Hooker won't be a full-go during training camp (if that's what he means by being "cleared"). Still, it would be an impressive recovery just 10 months after tearing his ACL.
Though that shouldn't be a complete surprise. Hooker's hard work while rehabbing his knee has obviously played a huge part in his recovery. But the quarterback position also has the highest return to play rate at the "same or higher level" of any position on the field according to Bone and Joint Institute's Dr. Scott Arthur.
"There's a pretty good study in the NFL that looked at return to play at the same or higher level and duration of career after ACLs and quarterbacks were the most successful by far," said Arthur, a board-certified orthopedic surgeon who specializes in ACL repair. "I mean, it's much more difficult as a linebacker or running back, you know, just from the position demands. Obviously, mobility is going to be the biggest challenge. I think throwing mechanics and being able to drop back and throw and do his normal things, [it's] going to be probably pretty routine for him and easily accomplished. It's going to be more the mobility and how much is he going to try to run the ball and use that part of his game?"
Note: Dr. Arthur did not treat Hooker and is simply offering his personal opinion on Hooker's injury.
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow tore his ACL on November 22, 2020 (Hooker tore his ACL on November 19, 2022). Burrow was fully cleared on July 26 and he started in the Bengals' 2021 season opener against the Minnesota Vikings. The former LSU star didn't suffer any major setbacks and he ended up leading the Bengals to the Super Bowl in his first season back after tearing his ACL.
That's not to say that Hooker's rehab will be identical to Burrow's. But there are plenty of examples of quarterbacks returning to action at full strength less than a year after tearing an ACL. I can understand why NFL teams would be concerned about the injury, but it shouldn't remove Hooker from a quarterback-needy team's draft board.
