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Hendon Hooker is already 25 years old, played in a Tennessee offense that is tough to project to the next level, and the majority of his rookie season is likely going to be a redshirt year after he tore his ACL in November. He certainly has a boom-or-bust profile, but there's still a lot to like. Hooker didn't shine until he transferred from Virginia Tech to Tennessee after three seasons, but it all fell into place quickly after that. In his two years at Tennessee, Hooker threw for 58 touchdown passes compared to only 5 interceptions and ran for another 1,046 yards and 10 scores. Hooker is an athletic dual-threat who brings a dynamic aspect to the run game with his ability to be elusive in space and make defenders miss. He has prototypical size at 6-foot-3 and 217 pounds with a strong arm that puts it out there downfield on go-balls for his receivers to go get it. But what really stands out in film is Hooker's consistent, confident, and calm footwork. He remains in control which allows him to utilize his athleticism and quick sudden movements to escape pressure within the pocket and/or keep his eyes downfield and go through his reads.
With the draft just days away, Hooker continues to gain first-round steam. On Monday, Todd McShay reported he keeps hearing Hooker will get picked in the top 20, and Peter King mocked him 12th overall to the Texans. Hooker's chances at this point of being picked on Day 1 appear very real, but whether he ends up going in the first or second round, whichever team drafts him there should have him penciled in as their starter in 2024, if not sooner. Let's look at the best landing spots for Hooker within the first two rounds.
Minnesota Vikings, Pick 23
Kirk Cousins will play the 2023 season at 35 and in the final year of his deal. This will be Cousins' final year as the starting quarterback of the Vikings. Offensive-minded head coach Kevin O'Connell would be wise to proactively put a succession plan in place now rather than scrambling next offseason in order to minimize the chances of wasting even one second of Justin Jefferson's prime. This is the dream landing spot for Hooker, who would project as the starting quarterback in Minnesota in 2024. Matched with Jefferson and T.J. Hockenson in their primes in a pass-friendly offensive scheme, Hooker's dynasty stock would skyrocket in this scenario.
Tennessee Titans, Picks 11 and 41
Expect Mike Vrabel and company to be aggressive on Thursday night in order to land their quarterback of the future. Like Kirk Cousins, Ryan Tannehill will also play in the upcoming season at 35, but unlike the Vikings, the Titans are already in the middle of a rebuild. The priorities for Tennessee are likely to be either aggressively trading up for their guy or hoping to get lucky and have someone fall into their lap at 11. But if the dominoes don't fall their way, Hooker could be a fallback option. In that scenario, the Titans would likely try to trade back into a more comfortable and realistic range to take him. No matter how it unfolds, if Hooker is a Titan, he'll be the projected starting quarterback in Tennessee in 2024 at the latest. If healthy later on this year, it would be a surprise if Hooker didn't also make starts toward the tail end of his rookie season. As the projected quarterback of the future for an organization with a strong infrastructure led by Vrabel, Hooker's dynasty stock would increase.
Detroit Lions, Picks 6, 18, 48, and 55
Cutting Jared Goff next offseason would save the Lions $26,650,064 in cap space, but unlike with C.J. Stroud or Anthony Richardson, the odds of that occurring are lower if Detroit drafts Hooker. Still, it would remain a legit possibility, and Hooker would join a solid organization and infrastructure led by head coach Dan Campbell and offensive coordinator Ben Johnson. The Lions are an improving team that shouldn't expect to be in range to land their quarterback of the future moving forward. Yet, this offseason is different since they hold four picks within the first two rounds of the draft. Should the Lions pass on a quarterback at sixth overall and draft Hooker later in the first or second rounds, he would project as the quarterback of the future, throwing to a young superstar in Amon-Ra St. Brown and another receiver projected to be in that same category after this season in Jameson Williams. And due to the investment made and projected team success moving forward, the odds are in Hooker's favor of starting at least one full season for the team once Goff is out of the picture. If Hooker is able to prove himself on the field, it would be wheels up from there.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Picks 19 and 50
Tampa Bay's current quarterback depth chart consists of Baker Mayfield and Kyle Trask. Mayfield is a bust, and Trask is an immobile pocket passer who showed inconsistent decision-making in college. With Tom Brady retired, the Buccaneers are an enigma of a team heading into 2023. What isn't as puzzling, though, are the small odds of Mayfield ever resurrecting his career or Trask becoming a difference-maker. Hooker would be an upgrade over both, and unless Mike Evans or Chris Godwin are traded, he would have a chance to play with both of them, if healthy, toward the end of his rookie season. However, there are no guarantees both - or either - of them will still be on the roster in 2024. Still, Hooker would project as the starting quarterback for Tampa Bay in 2024. By then, Todd Bowles could be out as head coach and replaced by a more offensive-minded leader.
Houston Texans, Picks 2, 12, and 33
There is a lot of smoke around Houston passing on a quarterback at number two overall, and if they do, Hooker enters the equation. It would be surprising to see the Texans leave this draft without a first or second-round quarterback, and as mentioned in the introduction, Peter King mocked Hooker 12th overall to the Texans on Monday. In this scenario, Hooker would project as the quarterback of the future under a new and exciting regime led by head coach Demeco Ryans and offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik, who formerly was Kyle Shanahan's passing game coordinator. The main elephant in the room keeping Houston from being higher on this list is the possibility of them being in range to select a first-round quarterback next year such as Caleb Williams or Drake Maye. If that were to occur, Hooker's dynasty stock would look similar to Trey Lance's this offseason, where there are more questions than answers.
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