Former NFL GM claims Hendon Hooker will be best quarterback of 2023 draft class

Around this time of year, nearly everyone goes to bat for certain NFL quarterbacks. For former NFL general manager and ESPN’s Mike Tannenbaum, that has been Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker. In his latest mock draft, Tannenbaum projected Hooker to be selected fifth overall to the Seattle Seahawks — well above where many in the industry would anticipate Hooker being picked.

ESPN’s Todd McShay released his own updated mock draft on Monday, projecting Hooker would be taken in the first round. While Tannenbaum was happy to see that from McShay, he decided to take it another step further.

“Good to see you have (Hendon Hooker) in the first round,” Tannenbaum said. “He’ll be the best QB from this year’s draft.”

Not everybody at ESPN agrees with Tannebaum’s sentiment, though. Dan Orlovsky hopped in the replies of the tweet, offering up a bet to the former general manager five years down the road. By the time one of the two would have to pay out the wager, the quarterback class will be entering their fifth-year options.

“I love you and I’m a big Hendon fan,” Orlovsky said. “I’ll bet you dinner at Carbone’s this isn’t the case in 5 years.”

Multiple different factors play into this bet. First off, Hooker is going to have some steep competition from first-round guys alone. Bryce Young and CJ Stroud are expected to make immediate impacts wherever they land. For most people, the Alabama and Ohio State products are the top two quarterbacks available.

Will Levis and Anthony Richardson, while they might be projects, have a ton of potential as well. Most teams will be lining up to select them on Thursday night of the draft before considering Hooker. And part of that is because of Hooker’s injury.

A torn ACL suffered against South Carolina sidelined Hooker for the rest of the 2022 regular season and the Vols’ Orange Bowl appearance. Late November was when the knee injury occurred, meaning some portions of the 2023 season could be missed by Hooker. Everyone’s recovery timeline is different.

Even so, Hooker has a good chance of sliding into the first round. The injury is going to take some time to come back from but if put in the right situation, somebody else will be starting ahead of the Tennessee product next season anyway. Some further development is needed.

As for who is going to win the bet between Tannenbaum and Orlovsky, check back again in the 2028 offseason.