Qualifying Predraft Arguments Against Hendon Hooker
The NFL draft season often looks to analysts placing prospects under a microscope. Sometimes this over analyzation can lead to epiphanies and clue you in on a prospect's career outlook. However, it can also lead to overthinking.
Quarterback Hendon Hooker has been heavily scrutinized as the odd man out in this quarterback class. Four signal callers expect to hear their names in the top ten; Hooker reportedly has a high-end second-round grade.
He tore his ACL against South Carolina, ending his college football career and predraft process. Hooker hasn't participated in any on-field workouts, meaning all people can do is look at the tape from this past season. While film evaluation is an integral part of the process, it can often cause you to zero in on unimportant tendencies.
Hooker may be a successful NFL quarterback, but he also may not. This isn't an advocating to draft him; it's merely taking you into the mindset of the eventual franchise that decides to spend draft capital on him.
He's too old
Hooker turned 25 on January 13. He's older than eleven NFL starting quarterbacks and is the oldest of the top five quarterbacks in his draft class. Age is a primary consideration when drafting prospects; the more time you have to develop them, the more likely their athletic peak will coincide with excellent technique.
While age is a quintessential factor when drafting any other position, quarterback is the exception. They operate at a different timetable than others; even an average NFL starter can stretch their career toward a decade.
Athleticism also isn't a primary factor when playing the position. Granted, quarterbacks in today's game must have some ability to move, which Hooker has. However, even when athleticism subsides in age, we've seen quarterbacks last well into their 30s, winning with intelligence and arm talent.
The ACL Scares Me
Hooker's ACL rehab is, admittedly, a bit troubling. Teams haven't gotten an in-depth personal evaluation of his throwing process and habits, which is typically an important part of evaluating a prospective quarterback. Hooker confirmed he expects to be ready for training camp and week one of the regular season.
Some are hesitant to pull the trigger on Hooker because of his injury. While it is concerning, it shouldn't cause you to sway away from selecting him. The rehab process for ACL injuries is different with modern medicine; Hooker should return to the peak of his powers.
He doesn't have a history of injuries. We are talking about an isolated instance that could have happened to any other quarterback; Will Levis broke his hand this season, another isolated instance that could have happened to anyone.
Tennessee's Offense Didn't Ask Much Of Hooker
Head coach Josh Heupel runs one of the most high-octane, successful offensive attacks in college football. They ran at a historic pace, scoring points in bunches. However, that tempo is part of the problem for Hooker.
When you run as many plays as Tennessee, you can't run a pro-style scheme where the quarterback reads the play in the huddle and then walks to the line of scrimmage, dictating the game's tempo. The Vols got on the ball quickly, meaning they stayed in the same formation groups and ran repeatable concepts.
CJ Stroud, Bryce Young, Anthony Richardson, and Levis all come from slower-style offenses that ask quarterbacks to control the game more. However, Hooker showcased the ability to check into the right call by reading keys and making difficult throws over and over, which is all you can ask for. There isn't a direct correlation between pro-style offenses and NFL quarterbacking success; you must trust your eyes and see that he made big throws in big moments.
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