Former NFL scout makes comment about Hendon Hooker and the draft that Vols fans will love
A former NFL scout made a comment about Tennessee Vols quarterback Hendon Hooker this week that UT fans will absolutely love. Hooker, who is currently rehabbing his torn ACL ahead of the 2023 NFL Draft, has been viewed by most draft analysts as a day two or day three selection — due to the torn […]
A former NFL scout made a comment about Tennessee Vols quarterback Hendon Hooker this week that UT fans will absolutely love.
Hooker, who is currently rehabbing his torn ACL ahead of the 2023 NFL Draft, has been viewed by most draft analysts as a day two or day three selection — due to the torn ACL and the offense he played in at Tennessee.
NFL Network's Bucky Brooks, however, doesn't share that same view.
Brooks, a former scout for the Seattle Seahawks and the Carolina Panthers, thinks Hooker is "no worse" than the third-best quarterback in the 2023 NFL Draft.
"Injured or not, Hendon Hooker is no worse than the QB3 in this class," wrote Brooks in a tweet on Tuesday morning. "Talented and experienced with the athleticism and passing prowess that is required to play at a high level in this league. There might be sexier prospects, but there are not many QBs with better skills than HH."
In Brooks' most recent mock draft, he has Alabama's Bryce Young and Ohio State's CJ Stroud as the top two quarterbacks selected. So I'm assuming that those are the top quarterbacks on his board.
If that's the case, then this is Brooks essentially saying he likes Hooker better than Kentucky's Will Levis or Florida's Anthony Richardson — two players that have been mocked above Hooker in virtually every mock draft.
It'll certainly be interesting to see how the draft shakes out. Mock drafts don't always equate to what NFL front offices actually think (we saw that with quarterback Malik Willis last season, a projected first-round pick who fell to the third round).
Hooker likely helped his draft stock this past week at the Senior Bowl (he participated in interviews with teams and was engaged the whole week), but I don't know if it'll be enough to lift him over Levis and Richardson.
Then again, maybe NFL front offices will share Brooks' opinion. He is a former NFL scout, after all.
Featured image via Saul Young/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK
