Hendon Hooker Getting Buzz Ahead of NFL Draft
Hendon Hooker was in the midst of a Heisman-caliber season before the night of November 19th, 2022. Hooker, in his sixth year at the collegiate level, enjoyed a season that, before that night, included 2,888 passing yards as well as 29 total touchdowns.
However, on that fateful night at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, South Carolina, tragedy befell the Volunteer's leading man. Late in the game, the eleventh of the season, Hooker suffered a non-contact knee injury. The eventual SEC player of the year writhed on the ground in pain. A short time later, the suspicions were confirmed, and Hooker was diagnosed with a torn ACL.
Not only did this spell bad news for the Volunteers, but many thought it spelled bad news for the post-college future of Hendon. It was almost sure that at least out of the gate, his draft stock would plummet. And for a while, no one really spoke of Hooker.
While Hendon's squad did end up winning the Capital One Orange Bowl over perennial powerhouse Clemson, with Joe Milton under center, there was still a murkiness over Hooker's NFL future. As teams and pundits began to research following the season, there were two primary concerns about Hooker. His injury and age coming into the league at 25 years old.
However, many of these concerns may have been dispelled, as we see Hooker more and more frequently in first-round mocks, including former NFL GM Mike Tannenbaum mocking the VFL with the fifth pick in the draft to Seattle. Another recent mock from CBS Sports projected Hooker in the late first round to Tampa Bay. Furthermore, earlier in the week, an unnamed NFL scout stated, "I don't know how he gets out of the first round."
With the buzz being so centered around quarterbacks CJ Stroud, Bryce Young, Anthony Richardson, and Will Levis, Hooker has been turning some heads with his interviews and meetings with teams, but he is still unable to work out. We are nearing the draft, and as we do, it seems more and more likely we will hear Hooker's name called on the first night.
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