Hendon Hooker could be the future franchise quarterback in the Motor City after the Detroit Lions used an early-third-round selection to take the Tennessee product in the 2023 NFL Draft on Friday night in Kansas City, Mo.
Hooker was the fifth quarterback to be drafted, following Alabama’s Bryce Young (No. 1 overall to Carolina), Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud (No. 2 to Houston), Florida’s Anthony Richardson (No. 4 to Indianapolis) and Kentucky’s Will Levis (No. 33 to Tennessee).
The Lions reached the playoffs last season with Jared Goff as their starting quarterback. Goff, 28, is signed through 2024. Nate Sudfeld was the only other quarterback on the roster entering Friday.
Hooker was trending toward being a Heisman Trophy finalist during a second straight stellar season for the Volunteers and wound up fifth in Heisman voting after throwing for 3,135 yards, 27 touchdowns and only two interceptions over 11 games.
However, his 2022 season ended abruptly when he tore the ACL in his left knee in a game against South Carolina on Nov. 19.
In an article published Tuesday, Hooker told The Athletic that he expects to be “100 percent cleared” to play by Sept. 1. He also shared videos on social media this week showing him working out, saying it was his first day of dropping back to throw roughly five months after the injury occurred.
After spending six years in college, four at Virginia Tech and two at Tennessee, Hooker is already 25 years old — for comparison, just one year younger than former NFL MVP Lamar Jackson.
No other quarterbacks were selected in the third round, but four running backs came off the board: The New Orleans Saints chose TCU’s Kendre Miller at No. 71 overall, the Tennessee Titans drafted Tulane’s Tyjae Spears at No. 81, the Miami Dolphins picked Texas A&M’s Devon Achane at No. 84, and the Jacksonville Jaguars went with Auburn’s Tank Bigsby at No. 88.
The San Francisco 49ers picked Michigan kicker Jake Moody with the 99th overall choice. Moody won the 2021 Lou Groza Award as the nation’s top kicker, and he made first-team All-Big Ten each of the past two seasons.
–Field Level Media
