Hendon Hooker says he understands draft stock dropping with injury

Former Tennessee QB Hendon Hooker is one of the top quarterbacks in the 2023 NFL Draft but isn’t able to show off his skills to scouts this offseason thanks to a late season-ending knee injury.

It seems inevitable that an injured player’s stock would drop when they suffer a significant injury like Hooker’s, but said that might not be the case during a recent appearance on The Patt McAfee Show.

“It really hasn’t been talked about, but I can understand just with the availability factor,” Hooker said about his draft stock shifting because of injury. “My ability, my football IQ and the leadership aspects that I bring will still elevate the team and also boost my draft stock as well. Moving forward, controlling what I can control and being confident in my ability is all I can do. Have a positive attitude and just be a great guy.”

Being sidelined for the last bit of the season and now into draft prep, Hooker said he’s spent his time off the field working on the mental aspect of his game in terms of film and memorizing plays. Because his injury was to his leg, he’s still able to throw — but that’s about it right now.

Hooker tore his ACL toward the end of Tennessee’s season, missing the Orange Bowl and cutting his Volunteers career shorter than expected. He was still able to make his mark on the program during his short tenure in Knoxville.

The former Virginia Tech transfer spent two seasons as QB1 in Knoxville, where he threw for 6,080 yards, 58 touchdowns and five interceptions. He also rushed for 1,046 yards and 10 scores and led the Vols to a 15-7 record as a starter, including an 8-0 start to the regular season. 

His senior year included leading Tennessee to an improbable victory over Alabama at home, earning Tennessee a No. 1 ranking in the AP Top 25 poll and is largely responsible for the Vols’ Orange Bowl berth at the end of the year.

Hooker is currently the No. 5 quarterback prospect according to ESPN, and teams will likely be interested to see his progress in recovering from the ACL injury before taking a chance on him even if they won’t tell him that.

Drafting an injury-prone franchise quarterback is a recipe for disaster. Still, it’s way too early to be putting that type of tag on Hooker’s back before he’s even been drafted.