Tennessee Volunteers quarterback Hendon Hooker was the talk of college football in 2022 until he tore his ACL in a Nov. 19 loss at South Carolina.
For much of the season, there was no debating that Hooker was the best player in college football. Forget his numbers for just a second; Hooker had a big hand in turning the University of Tennessee’s struggling football program around in his final two seasons in Knoxville.
While Hooker can’t obviously participate in practice, he is present for the Reese’s Senior Bowl in Alabama this week. In some good news, Hooker was off crutches and told Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network that doctors said he would be ready for training camp in July.
Hooker said he will be running by March, which leads to the intrigue about where he will be selected in the 2023 NFL draft.
.@TomPelissero sat down with @Vol_Football QB Hendon Hooker to discuss his ACL recovery as he prepares for the #NFLDraft.
Watch @SeniorBowl Practice LIVE exclusively on NFL+ https://t.co/iIlrCwXLDO pic.twitter.com/W6E2kgS6Zi
— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) January 31, 2023
Hooker wasn’t considered among the top quarterbacks in 2023 before his injury. Bryce Young, Will Levis and C.J. Stoud were always the top three in some fashion. However, before his injury, Hooker was an intriguing prospect because of his continued growth in every season of his college career.
Hooker has size [6-foot-4, 220], speed, arm strength and accuracy. He also has plenty of experience, with 42 career games played, including 36 starts between Virginia Tech and Tennessee.
The one knock on Hooker is his age. Hooker, who turned 25 in January, spent four seasons at Virginia Tech before playing two seasons with the Volunteers.
Considering where Hooker is with his injury, some NFL team would be smart to swipe him off board in April’s draft. Many believe Hooker is likely a third-or fourth-round pick. With his age and experience, Hooker is a player who could help an NFL team soon if the injury isn’t an issue.
Hooker chose to come to Mobile for Senior Bowl festivities to meet with teams to show off his leadership and football IQ. He is promising a better version of himself at the next level.
“I just want to show the type of leader I am, the character I have,” Hooker said via Jim Wyatt of TennesseeTitans.com. “And, just my love for ball, my football IQ for sure. I want to show them what I know, and what I can learn as well.”
Any team who meets with Hooker will come away impressed.
Could one of those teams be the Washington Commanders?
Washington is expected to give Sam Howell every opportunity to win the job in 2023. However, Howell is far from a guarantee, having only one career start. The Commanders could use free agency and the draft to build up the offensive line and add some help in the secondary and, at linebacker, and finally use a pick on Hooker.
Washington will sign a veteran quarterback this offseason. Whether it’s Jacoby Brissett, Taylor Heinicke, or Andy Dalton, the Commanders must continue to take chances on young passers to break the cycle of never having a franchise quarterback.
Hooker and Howell, while different, allow a smart offensive coordinator to scheme an offense around RPOs, something both young quarterbacks have plenty of experience with.
Hooker is exactly the type of prospect Washington should target at quarterback. Get him in the building, and you have a year of seeing him and Howell, who will both be under contract for cheap for the next few seasons. It’s possible that neither works out. It’s also possible that one proves to be the future.
You don’t know if you don’t try. And at this point, the Commanders should be trying everything outside of trading valuable assets for a veteran passer.
