Former Vols standout lands with Titans in latest mock draft
The Tennessee Vols should have six or seven players (or possibly eight) selected in the 2023 NFL Draft. One of the players that's expected to go in the early rounds of the draft is former Vols quarterback Hendon Hooker. Hooker, who tore his ACL last November in Tennessee's loss to South Carolina, has been projected […]
The Tennessee Vols should have six or seven players (or possibly eight) selected in the 2023 NFL Draft.
One of the players that's expected to go in the early rounds of the draft is former Vols quarterback Hendon Hooker.
Hooker, who tore his ACL last November in Tennessee's loss to South Carolina, has been projected mostly as a first-round or second-round selection by draft analysts.
Most analysts seem to think that Hooker will go in the second round. But the former Tennessee standout has started popping up more frequently in recent mock drafts. In fact, NFL Network's Peter Schrager has Hooker going No. 11 overall to the Tennessee Titans in his latest mock draft.
From NFL.com: I can see Tennessee moving up to get a quarterback like Anthony Richardson or C.J. Stroud. GM Ran Carthon and coach Mike Vrabel were making the rounds at the pro days for all the top QBs last month. But if the Titans aim to land one at their current draft slot, I’m leaning toward Hooker being their choice over Will Levis, despite Hooker being a 25-year-old coming off a torn ACL. This might shock the world — or, by the time the draft arrives, it might not be that big of a shock at all.
While I think Hooker could slide into the end of the first round, I'd be surprised if he goes this high. And that's for a couple of reasons. For starters, I think teams will be too concerned about his ACL recovery to take him this high. Hooker has maintained that he'll be ready for the start of the 2023 season, but teams won't know for sure if that will be the case until they're the ones looking over his rehab process.
The other reason why I don't think Hooker will go this high is because the Titans have more pressing teams. Hooker makes sense for the Titans, who could use a longterm answer at quarterback with Ryan Tannehill's time in Nashville nearing an end. But I'd look for the Titans to target an offensive lineman in the first round.
It would be fun to see Hooker stay in Tennessee and head just a couple of hours west to Nashville. But if he does, it will likely mean that the Titans landed him in the second round.
