Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker appears likely to be a first-round draft pick on Thursday night.
Early in the offseason Hooker was seen as more likely to be a second-round pick, but now the betting odds have Hooker favored to be a first-round pick.
Four quarterbacks -- Alabama’s Bryce Young, Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud, Florida’s Anthony Richardson and Kentucky’s Will Levis -- are locks to be first-round picks. Hooker is the wild card, although an increasing number of mock drafts (including PFT’s) have Hooker going not just in the first round, but in the first half of the first round.
Hooker was the SEC offensive player of the year last season, although there are concerns about his age (25) and his knee (he suffered a torn ACL in November). It appears that enough teams think the impressive college production outweigh those concerns that someone will take him within the first 31 picks.