Draft analyst makes strong statement about Hendon Hooker and the 2023 NFL Draft
Tennessee Vols quarterback Hendon Hooker will hope to be selected in the early rounds of the 2023 NFL Draft
Where will Tennessee Vols quarterback Hendon Hooker be selected in the 2023 NFL Draft?
That's a question that everyone is trying to answer in the weeks leading up to this year's draft.
Hooker was incredibly productive during his two seasons at Tennessee, but questions about the torn ACL he suffered in November, his age (he just turned 25), and the offense he played in at UT have limited the draft hype surrounding the former Vol signal caller.
There are some draft analysts out there, however, that are big on Hooker.
In fact, one of the most well-respected draft analysts in the industry — ESPN's Matt Miller — feels like Hooker might have a chance to be a first-round pick in next month's draft.
"Talked to a handful of teams about TENN QB Hendon Hooker this morning. He's acing interviews and board work," tweeted Miller before suggesting that Hooker could sneak into the first round of the draft.
If it wasn't for the torn ACL that Hooker suffered in Tennessee's loss to South Carolina, he might be a lock to be drafted in the first round.
While Hooker's draft stock hasn't necessarily been hurt by not working out at the combine or the Senior Bowl (the interviews have clearly helped a lot), he hasn't had the chance to boost his draft stock via on-field work.
I don't know how Hooker would've tested, but anyone who saw him play at Tennessee knows he's an extremely athletic quarterback that's extremely accurate (just two interceptions this past season) and has plenty of arm.
Hooker has maintained that he's the best player in this year's draft. While he hasn't been able to show it on the field post-injury, he's been able to impress teams with his maturity and football knowledge to the point where he might have quite literally talked himself into the first round.
