Josh Heupel makes bold statement about Hendon Hooker's NFL future
Former Tennessee Vols quarterback Hendon Hooker is expected to be selected in the first two rounds of the 2023 NFL Draft. Over the last few weeks, Hooker has started seeing his name pop up in the first round of mock drafts a little more consistently. The former Vols standout is recovering from a torn ACL […]
Former Tennessee Vols quarterback Hendon Hooker is expected to be selected in the first two rounds of the 2023 NFL Draft.
Over the last few weeks, Hooker has started seeing his name pop up in the first round of mock drafts a little more consistently.
The former Vols standout is recovering from a torn ACL he suffered in Tennessee's loss to South Carolina last November, but he's maintained that he'll be ready for the start of the 2023 season.
Vols head coach Josh Heupel doesn't know where Hooker will be drafted or where he'll land, but he's confident that his former quarterback will have an extremely successful NFL career.
In fact, Heupel thinks Hooker will have an "elite" career.
"His future couldn't be any brighter," said Heupel while discussing Hooker during a recent episode of The Juice. "Some NFL team is going to be so fortunate to have him [as] a part of their roster. He is going to have an elite career."
Some draft analysts have started putting Hooker in the second tier of quarterbacks in the draft, along with Kentucky's Will Levis and Florida's Anthony Richardson.
I'm not sure that's fair to Hooker. Levis and Richardson have some rare physical skills that make them attractive options, but teams would be drafting both of those players based on potential.
Hooker, however, has shown that he can produce at a high level against the top competition in college football. It's not just potential with Hooker — there's a history of production. Putting him in a group with Levis and Richardson is almost insulting to Hooker's accomplishments.
The only reason that Hooker isn't receiving more hype is because he played in an offense that draft analysts seem to despise. That's the only knock on Hooker ahead of the draft.
If NFL teams pass on Hooker because of the Vols' offense, they'll be making a big mistake.
But based on some comments that Heupel made earlier this offseason about NFL teams inquiring about his offense, I don't think that'll be the case. Hooker might end up going much higher in the draft than fans expect.
