Hendon Hooker 2023 NFL Draft Scouting Report

Background: 

• His father was a star quarterback at North Carolina A&T, where his younger brother is currently a quarterback 

• Began his college career at Virginia Tech before grad-transferring to Tennessee ahead of the 2021 season 

• Co-wrote a faith-based children’s book titled “The ABC of Scripture for Athletes” with his brother 

• Led his high school team to two state championships
• Starred in basketball in high school where he scored more than 1,000 points and was a three-time All-Metro conference selection 

System: 

• Scheme tendencies: Vertical spread 
• 2022 projected role: Starting quarterback 

Pros: Hendon Hooker didn’t initially earn the Vols’ starting role in 2021, but it didn’t take long for him to take the reins and flourish. Hooker features a sturdy frame with good height and big hands. He has good arm strength that is capable of driving the football outside the numbers and pushing the ball down the field. He has impressive moments of accuracy to all levels of the field. I love how clean his lower-body throwing mechanics are. He sets a consistent base and finds consistent sequencing for both quick throws and shots down the field. His feet are quiet in the pocket. Hooker is an athletic quarterback with good mobility, offering a dual-threat skill set. His physical ability creates a wide-open playbook. 

Cons: Hendon Hooker operates in a vertical spread tempo offense with very little translatability to the next level. The receiver alignments are incredibly wide and the vertical passing concepts are mostly foreign to the NFL. The system feasts on manufactured spacing with very little progression-style passing. Hooker isn’t tasked with making many decisions and throws are often predetermined. Hooker hasn’t showcased himself as a quarterback who makes anticipatory throws. Further complicating his projection to the NFL is that he turns 25 in January of 2023.

Hendon Hooker NFL Draft Scouting Report by Joe Marino