School: Tennessee Year: (RS) Senior Age: 25 Height: 6’3” Weight: 218 Arm: 33” Hand: 10 ½”
Last year’s stats: 3,135 yards, 27 passing TDs, 2 INTS 430 Rush Yards, 5 TDs
Strengths: Hendon Hooker has had just 5 Interceptions in the last 632 attempts. Has had over 1,000 rushing yards over the past two seasons at Tennessee and won SEC Offensive Player of the Year in 2022. He has shown great ability to run the football and break off big chunks of yardage when he gets out in the open. He doesn’t have an elite arm, but he can make all the throws needed at the next level. He does a good job forcing defenders to make a choice before tucking it and running or throwing it over the defender’s head. He is accurate from a clean pocket, can add velocity when needed, and take something off the ball when it is not. He can throw WRs open and hit them on the run with consistency. Hooker does a great job in decision-making and does not turn the ball over. He has played against elite college competition and shined brightly doing so.
Weaknesses: Although he is younger than Stetson Bennett, that is not the player you want to be compared to in this category. Hooker also tore his ACL late last year and is still unable to do any testing before the NFL draft. The offense that Hooker had the majority of his success in is a vertical spread tempo offense with very little translatability to the next level. The receivers are set up to be incredibly wide and the vertical passing concepts are mostly foreign to the NFL. The system manufactures spacing with very little progression-style passing. Most plays were one-read looks for Hooker. Hooker isn’t tasked with making many decisions and throws are often predetermined. This has led to him staring down his receivers and drawing defenders in early. This has also translated to becoming a statue in the pocket at times and taking a lot of sacks. Hooker’s straight-line speed is fantastic, but his escapability within the pocket is lacking. The quick twitch movements to avoid the rush while keeping the eyes downfield need to improve. On top of that, he has not shown himself as a quarterback who makes anticipatory throws with consistency.
It is a tough sell to take a chance on a 25-year-old rookie who tore his ACL late in the 2022 season. More than likely, Hooker will need to take a full redshirt year which will make him 26 before you can even hope to see him on an NFL field.
Hooker’s age, injury status, and adjustment to the next level make him a tough sell for fantasy value. There is an opportunity for him as a developmental starter if everything comes together but he at least should provide value as a backup. This is the type of player whose future fantasy value hangs on the draft capital used to select him. 2nd round pick or higher, he is worth a practice squad spot, 3rd or lower, he will more than likely not get a chance to be fantasy relevant in the NFL.
Combine Results: None (ACL)
Ceiling NFL Comp: Geno Smith
Floor NFL Comp: Jets’ Geno Smith
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