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Former University of Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker had a lengthy journey to become a top quarterback prospect in the 2023 NFL Draft. He started his career at Virginia Tech, delivering mixed results, but became a collegiate superstar in the SEC under head coach Josh Heupel.
By the end of his college career, Hooker was the favorite to win the Heisman Trophy before tearing his ACL in late November. Still, he was rumored to be a possible first-round pick in late April's draft but ultimately landed in Detroit in the third round at pick No. 68 overall. Third-round quarterbacks are guaranteed to ever get a chance to start or play meaningful snaps, so he's an interesting player to evaluate in fantasy football moving forward.
What did Hooker accomplish during his Virginia Tech and Tennessee career and what is his fantasy football outlook with the Detroit Lions as a rookie and beyond? Let's dive into his rookie profile!
Hendon Hooker NFL Rookie Profile
Team: Detroit Lions
College: Tennessee
Height: 6’3"
Weight 217
Age: 25 (1/13/1998)
Arm Length: 33"
Hand Size: 10.5"
2022 NFL Draft: Round 3, Pick: 5
Hooker's Virginia Tech Career
Hooker, a four-star recruit in the 2017 recruiting class, redshirted as a true freshman, then had an uneventful redshirt freshman season -- rushing four times for 57 yards and a touchdown, but throwing no passes.
He earned the starting job in his 2019 redshirt sophomore season, posting a 6-3 record while passing for 1,555 yards, 13 touchdowns, and two interceptions. The North Carolina native added 356 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns. All in all, it was a successful first year as a starter.
The Hokies struggled during the 2020 Covid-effected season and Hooker totaled 1,958 yards, 18 touchdowns, and five interceptions. He went 2-5 over his seven starts. All NCAA football players were given an extra year of eligibility thanks to the Covid season, so he then hit the transfer portal with two years left to play and landed at Tennessee.
2021 Breakout Campaign
In his first season at Tennessee, Hooker started the year as the backup to Michigan transfer Joe Milton. Milton got banged up in the loss to Pittsburgh in Week 2 and Hooker flashed as the Volunteers almost pulled off a comeback win against Kenny Pickett, Jordan Addison, and Co. He was named the starter thereafter.
He starred in the following weeks, cementing himself as one of the SEC's top quarterbacks.
| Opponent | Completions | Attempts | Pass Yards | Pass TDs | INTs | Rush Yards | Rush TDs |
| Pitt | 15 | 21 | 188 | 2 | 1 | 49 | 0 |
| Tennessee Tech | 17 | 25 | 199 | 3 | 0 | 64 | 1 |
| Flordia | 13 | 23 | 221 | 2 | 0 | 23 | 0 |
| Missouri | 15 | 19 | 225 | 3 | 0 | 80 | 1 |
| South Carolina | 17 | 23 | 225 | 3 | 0 | 66 | 1 |
| Ole Miss | 17 | 26 | 233 | 1 | 0 | 108 | 1 |
| Alabama | 19 | 28 | 282 | 3 | 1 | 27 | 0 |
| Kentucky | 15 | 20 | 316 | 4 | 0 | 41 | 0 |
| Georgia | 24 | 37 | 244 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 0 |
| South Alabama | 17 | 20 | 273 | 2 | 0 | 21 | 1 |
| Vanderbilt | 10 | 18 | 156 | 2 | 0 | 75 | 0 |
| Purdue | 26 | 41 | 378 | 5 | 0 | 59 | 0 |
| Total | 206 | 302 | 2,945 | 31 | 3 | 620 | 5 |
Tennessee posted a 7-6 record under first-year head coach Josh Heuepel, an improvement from the 3-7 2020 campaign under Jeremy Pruitt.
After his breakout season, he became a popular sleeper to win the 2022 Heisman trophy and he came oh so close.
2022 Heisman Hopeful
Tennessee's prolific offense carried into 2022 as the Vols started with an 8-0 record, including a win over the Florida Gators for the first time since 2015 and a win over the Alabama Crimson Tide for the first time since 2006. Hooker threw for 734 yards, seven touchdowns, and one interception total against the two SEC rivals.
Hooker was efficient and took care of the ball, much like he's done throughout his entire career, but the No. 1 ranked Vols were outmatched against Georgia and suffered their first defeat of the season.
| Opponent | Completions | Attempts | Pass Yards | Pass TDs | INTs | Rush Yards | Rush TDs |
| Ball State | 18 | 25 | 221 | 2 | 0 | 12 | 2 |
| Pitt | 27 | 42 | 325 | 2 | 0 | 27 | 0 |
| Akron | 14 | 18 | 298 | 2 | 0 | 24 | 0 |
| Florida | 22 | 28 | 349 | 2 | 0 | 112 | 1 |
| LSU | 17 | 27 | 239 | 2 | 0 | 56 | 0 |
| Alabama | 21 | 30 | 385 | 5 | 1 | 56 | 0 |
| UT-Martin | 18 | 24 | 276 | 3 | 0 | 28 | 0 |
| Kentucky | 19 | 25 | 245 | 3 | 0 | 23 | 1 |
| Georgia | 23 | 33 | 195 | 0 | 1 | 17 | 0 |
| Missouri | 25 | 35 | 355 | 3 | 0 | 50 | 1 |
| South Carolina | 25 | 42 | 247 | 3 | 0 | 25 | 0 |
| Total | 229 | 329 | 3,135 | 27 | 2 | 430 | 5 |
He bounce back from his mediocre performance at Georgia with another big day against Missouri and reclaimed his spot as the odds-on favorite to win the Heisman Trophy.
Unfortunately, Hooker would tear his ACL in the third quarter in the loss to the South Carolina Gamecocks, putting an end to his Heisman campaign. Still, he finished fifth overall in the voting, only behind USC's Caleb Williams, TCU's Max Duggan, Ohio State's C.J. Stroud, and Georgia's Stetson Bennett.
Hendon Hooker Draft Stock Movement
Hooker had plenty of first-round hype before suffering the major knee injury but became eventually became a consensus second-round prospect early in the offseason. He checked all the boxes of an NFL quarterback with size, efficiency, raw stats, mobility, and character. He wasn't able to participate in on-field work during the pre-draft process thanks to his injury, but he impressed scouts in interviews and met with a ton of teams on top-3o visits.
Hendon Hooker Mock Draft Data
He inched back toward the first round as the draft drew closer, but ultimately, his injury concerns and his age likely led him to fall to the third round, where he'll serve as the backup to Jared Goff until further notice.
Hendon Hooker Fantasy Football Outlook
Goff has played well since being traded from the Los Angeles Rams to Detroit, posting 7,683 passing yards, 48 passing touchdowns, and 15 interceptions in two seasons with the young team in the middle of a rebuild. The team has reportedly begun talking about a contract extension for the 28-year-old signal-caller, but we'll have to wait and see if it happens.
Ultimately, Goff has played well enough to keep a starting role in the NFL and will likely have to regress mightily or get injured for Hooker to see the field in his rookie season. That said, Detroit could view Hooker as a potential ceiling-raiser with mobility and high-end decision-making. While we shouldn't expect much from Hooker in 2023 -- 2024 could be a different story.
He's already played a ton of football and has 866 passing attempts on his college resume, and he doesn't need much work in the decision-making area. That said, the transition from Tennessee's fast-paced, wide-split offense to the NFL could be a sharp learning curve.
Hooker is a solid flyer in Superflex rookie drafts in the late-second or early-third round, but fantasy managers should be prepared to stash him on the bench until at least 2024. If Goff has to miss any time, he could provide fantasy value in a high-powered offense. He has at least enough rushing upside to be a threat in the red zone and has proven to be a solid facilitator in the best conference in college football.
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