How Hendon Hooker already has a unique connection to the Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions selected Tennessee Vols quarterback Hendon Hooker with the No. 68 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft on Friday night. Hooker was viewed as a potential first-round selection ahead of the draft, but concerns about his ACL recovery likely played a part in the former Tennessee standout sliding to the third round. […]
The Detroit Lions selected Tennessee Vols quarterback Hendon Hooker with the No. 68 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft on Friday night.
Hooker was viewed as a potential first-round selection ahead of the draft, but concerns about his ACL recovery likely played a part in the former Tennessee standout sliding to the third round.
The Lions are an ideal fit for Hooker. For starters, he can sit behind Jared Goff in 2023 while recovering from his torn ACL without having to be rushed into action. You never know when Detroit might need Hooker to step up in place of Goff (due to injury or ineffectiveness), but for now, the plan is for Hooker to develop behind Goff.
Another reason why Hooker is a great fit in Detroit is because of the connection he already has to the franchise.
Hooker's dad, Alan, played college football at North Carolina A&T, an HBCU in Greensboro, NC (Hooker's hometown). Lions general manager Brad Holmes also played at North Carolina A&T (albeit a decade-plus after Hooker's dad played for the Aggies).
On Friday night after being selected by the Lions, Hooker told reporters that his dad and Holmes have a relationship that goes back "many years".
“Him and my dad go back many years, many years that they’ve been friends and had a relationship," said Hooker. "It’s cool. When he called me and he said, ‘It’s cool to call a Greensboro number,’ we had a good laugh about that. Awesome, awesome guy. And we had a great conversation of my visit and it’s always cool to have someone around you with some sort of connection.”
Lions assistant general manager Ray Agnew doesn't have a direct connection to Hooker, but the two should also get along just fine. That's because Agnew is from Winston-Salem, NC, a city that's just 10 minutes away from Hooker's hometown (collectively, the area is known as "the Triad").
Hooker also has a previous connection to Detroit cornerback Emmanuel Moseley. Both players went to Tennessee (though they didn't play there at the same time because Hooker is a couple of years younger and initially played at Virginia Tech), but their connection is deeper than that. Hooker was a freshman at Dudley High School in Greensboro when Moseley was a senior.
Moseley spoke about Hooker earlier this offseason.
"Hendon Hooker was a hell of a basketball player," said Moseley in March. "He really could have made it in basketball, you know, but football was the way that he did it. I just love Hendon, man, because he's such a humble kid. Very humble kid."
"What he did last year was amazing, just to see him go out there and perform at the level he performed," added Moseley. "And now he's got another thing in front of him with his knee (Hooker's torn ACL). And I know what type of player he is and I know what type of kid he is. I know how he was raised with his parents. So I know he's gonna overcome that. And when he gets to the league, he's going to do some serious things."
It sounds like Detroit is a perfect fit for Hooker. Sometimes things are just meant to be and it sounds like that's the case with Hooker and the Lions.
