In five days, Bryce Young will be the first quarterback -- and first player -- taken in the draft. Quarterback Hendon Hooker isn’t ready to concede that point.
Via Tyler Dragon of USA Today, Hooker recently made the case for the 25-year-old former Tennessee quarterback to be the first quarterback taken in the 2023 draft.
“Of course, I would have myself at No. 1,” Hooker said. “I won’t give you a ranking, but I will say I give myself No. 1. My football IQ. How I’m able to process things at a high speed. My competitive nature and how accurate I am with the ball. I can make every level throw and also deadly in the run game as well.”
Some have considered Hooker’s age (25) a liability. He considers it an asset.
“It’s a long-term position,” Hooker told Dragon. “Tom Brady just finished at 45. The age limit on quarterbacks, there is none. Especially when you can do all the things that quarterbacks are doing. I think my attributes are seeing a lot of different football situations. That gives me that edge and my maturity trying to lead men gives me an advantage as well.”
Another liability is that Hooker is recovering from a torn ACL suffered during the 2022 season.
Peter King suggested on Friday’s PFT Live that Hooker could still be taken in the first half of round one. He’d arguably be a perfect candidate to sit for a year, behind an established starter like Jimmy Garoppolo in Las Vegas, Ryan Tannehill in (coincidentally) Tennessee, or Kirk Cousins in Minnesota.
And he’s right. Who cares that he’s 25? If the goal is to get 10-15 years from a franchise quarterback, a team will still get that from Hooker. If he becomes a franchise quarterback.
Regardless, Hooker’s name belongs in the conversation with Young, C.J. Stroud, Will Levis, and Anthony Richardson as the top quarterbacks in the 2023 draft.