Earlier this week NFL analyst Daniel Jeremiah released his latest mock draft. At pick 23 he had the Vikings selecting Tennessee QB Hendon Hooker, Coming off his best season of football. Is Hooker a real option for the Vikings?
Who is Hendon Hooker?
Hooker is 25 years old 6’4 218 pounds. Hooker attended Virginia Tech for three years before transferring to Tennessee for his final two years of eligibility. Hooker led the Volunteers to a 10-2 record and a win in the Orange Bowl over Clemson. His most notable performance was against Alabama where Hooker threw for 385 yards on 21/30 passing and 5 touchdowns. Defeating the Crimson Tide 52-49 in thrilling fashion.
Positives:
Hooker has a great frame for a NFL QB, besides tearing his ACL this season, his health has been rather clean. Hooker has good arm strength, his ability to fit the ball into tight spots is very apparent. To go along with his strength he also has a great mix of passing types, he has displayed great skills in touch passes and bullet passes. The angles on his throws allow him to throw into buckets and over defenders. Combine that with his great athleticism and he can create beyond the pocket. His burst of speed stands out most when looking at his athleticism, he is fast but his best trait is the first step he takes while running. Hooker’s mechanics are sound and he has a great ability to make off schedule plays by relying on his mechanics.
Negatives:
One concern is his arm strength, occasionally missing deep balls, his velocity isn’t consistent enough for a reliable deep ball thrower. Hooker is a great athlete but his speed is linear, not much movement side to side. Hooker struggled with progressions in college. He had a tendency to be reliant on scripted throws, struggling to go through the reads as fast as he should. He will force passes and make mistakes because of it. Hooker will struggle at the next level if he cannot limit his telegraphed passes, defenders can easily read his eyes and be able to jump on passes thrown. anticipation is not his strong suit. He has a tendency to second guess himself, not confident in a throw and he will melt. Overall hooker has some things to work on if he wants to succeed at the next level.
Could the Vikings really draft him:
The Vikings have done their homework on lots of QBs in this draft. If Hooker was there at 23, I would not be surprised if the Vikings pulled the trigger. Hooker has some development to go through, sitting behind Cousins for a year while he learns could be a path of success for the Vikings. The Vikings need to begin to look at new areas for QB and Hooker could be the answer.
