Vols QB Hendon Hooker has reportedly met 'extensively' with 5 NFL teams ahead of draft
Predicting where Tennessee Vols quarterback Hendon Hooker will be selected in the 2023 NFL Draft is nearly impossible. Some mock drafts have Hooker going in the first round while some media outlets aren't even sure if he'll be a top-100 pick (The Athletic, for example). While we don't know where Hooker will be selected in […]
Predicting where Tennessee Vols quarterback Hendon Hooker will be selected in the 2023 NFL Draft is nearly impossible.
Some mock drafts have Hooker going in the first round while some media outlets aren't even sure if he'll be a top-100 pick (The Athletic, for example).
While we don't know where Hooker will be selected in the draft, we at least know which teams are showing some early interest in the former Tennessee quarterback.
The Draft Network's Ryan Fowler reported on Tuesday that Hooker has met extensively with five NFL teams.
- Dallas Cowboys
- Carolina Panthers
- New Orleans Saints
- New York Giants
- Las Vegas Raiders
Fowler also noted that Hooker, who suffered a torn ACL in November in the Vols' loss to South Carolina, is expected to be ready for training camp
Three of those teams need new quarterbacks — the Panthers, Raiders, and Saints.
The Cowboys and the Giants are seemingly set at quarterback (depending on what happens with Daniel Jones' contract in New York), so they're likely looking at Hooker as a backup.
But the other three teams could view Hooker as a potential longterm answer at quarterback.
The Raiders and the Panthers have picks in the top 10. If they decide that someone like Will Levis or Anthony Richardson in the top 10 isn't the answer, then perhaps they look at Hooker later in the draft (second or third round). New Orleans has a late first-round pick, but I doubt they'd take Hooker that high with the uncertainty around his ACL recovery (he might be "expected" to be ready for training camp, but he still carries plenty of risk as a high draft pick).
It sounds like there are plenty of teams interested in Hooker. Now it's just a matter of which team pulls the trigger on drafting the Greensboro, NC native.
Featured image via Caitie McMekin/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK
