Tom Pelissero Shares Draft Tidbits About Hendon Hooker

NFL Network's Tom Pelissero released information about the quarterback class, including interesting notes about Tennessee Volunteers quarterback Hendon Hooker.

NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero is one of the most plugged-in media members in the space. When he speaks, there's usually weight behind it. He recently released an article detailing the talk behind the 2023 quarterback class, which is one of the more polarizing discussions in recent draft memory.

“If I was Carolina and I wanted to win right now, that’s the guy I would take.”

My annual draft QB projections are here, based on dozens of conversations with NFL executives, scouts and coaches. Dive in: https://t.co/UKNpFcPvwT

— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) April 21, 2023

Five quarterbacks could hear their names called on night one: Alabama's Bryce Young, Ohio State's CJ Stroud, Kentucky's Will Levis, Florida's Anthony Richardson, and Tennessee's Hendon Hooker. Hooker is probably the least likely to go in the first out of all of them, but there has been growing optimism about his status. Hooker's going on a predraft tour encompassing several NFC powers with interesting quarterback situations.

Pelissero spoke with several league executives about where each stands. While many are down on Hooker for a litany of reasons. However, NFL scouts aren't sharing the same skepticism. "The guy that people are really sleeping on because of the ACL is Hendon Hooker," an AFC scout said. "The guy was having a great f------ year, man. He was killing it. He's a little bit older (Hooker turned 25 in January), but he's mature, and he can run into the huddle and lead men and have a presence about himself."

An NFC scout shared similar praises. "Hooker is maybe my favorite one out of everybody. He's so cool. And he throws the ball. I thought I was just going to see a bunch of bubble screens and stuff that you normally see out of those types of offenses. He pushes the ball downfield (and) throws seam routes as well as anybody."

One common critique of Hooker is that Tennessee didn't run a pro-style offense during his college days. Head coach Josh Heupel runs an efficient yet limited offense that doesn't ask much of his quarterback. "Fundamentally, that Tennessee offense is hard to evaluate because they're kind of a gimmicky deal," an AFC coordinator said. "They just run a super wide spread set, they run a lot of plays that are coverage beaters, and they play with those really wide splits. The quarterback takes the same drop all the time. So you're watching it [thinking], His development at this level will be playing in a progression offense, learning how to play within the rhythm and timing of a play. But he's a smooth thrower. He's got a quick release. Liked all the elements of him throwing the ball. The only development with him would be learning how to play in a real NFL offense, as opposed to that offense where you play 'pick a side' and you're throwing to really fast guys."

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