Hendon Hooker fires back at critics thinking he's a one-progression QB

When asked at the 2023 NFL Combine about how his game and time in the high-flying Tennessee offense will translate to the next level, former Volunteers quarterback Hendon Hooker had a defiant moment in the sun. And while he won’t be working out at the combine as he recovers from an ACL tear, Hooker certainly owned the podium.

One of the critiques of Hooker is that the offense he played in dictated a lot of one-sided reads — simple, quick decision passing concepts — while coaches orchestrated things. He couldn’t disagree more, and thinks he’s got plenty more to offer an NFL team than just his physical abilities.

“Just control the offense. As you can see on film, a lot of times I make a lot of protection calls. Make a lot of checks at the line. You can see run to pass, pass to run, and then I can make every throw. The way that we run our offense, the wide splits, those are all grown-man throws. I’m not throwing any five-yard outs. I’m throwing big-boy balls,” Hooker said.

He had another great answer while discussing simple reads and quick decisions, all while reminding that the Tennessee offense was plenty complex. Hooker also noted this all happens at Tennessee’s rapid tempo.

“So a lot of these questions about one-sided reads and stuff, we have pure progression routes. It’s not my fault my first read is getting open. But we have pre-snap looks, one high, two high. Which side. Double footwork combo. We have pure progression with an alert, with an option. So, you know, any of these questions, they’re cool and all, but if you really dig into our offense and watch the film then you would understand it’s elevated to a whole ‘nother level. And how fast we’re going, I have to process a lot of information at the same time and communicate with everyone,” Hooker said.