Mel Kiper, Todd McShay slot Hendon Hooker in wildly different draft positions
During ESPN’s three-round mock draft special, draft expert Mel Kiper Jr selected Penn State corner Joey Porter Jr for the Minnesota Vikings at pick number 23. And while that’s a solid selection for the Vikings, his fellow expert Todd McShay wonders if they might go in a different direction. McShay thinks they could go with former Tennessee Volunteers quarterback Hendon Hooker.
“I question, though, the Vikings have done a lot of work on these quarterbacks, and Hendon Hooker is still available. And I’ve talked to some teams that have Hendon Hooker ahead of one or two of the guys that we have going in the top four, not named Young and Stroud. So it’ll be interesting to see what they do,” said McShay.
“Yes, he’s 25, turns 26 in January, but there are some teams that truly believe he could be a top-15, top-16 pick in this draft. And if the Vikings are one of those teams and they bought into Hendon Hooker, this would be a great place to take him. Because you’ve got that fifth-year option, there’s a reason why so few quarterbacks go in the second round. If you like that much, they came in the first round and get that fifth year.”
Kiper was the one to take Hooker off the board. The ESPN draft expert has the former Volunteer heading to the Seattle Seahawks after they used their pair of first-round picks to rebuild their defense. According to Kiper, unlike McShay, he has Hooker pinned as a second-rounder.
“You’re in round two of the draft. Hendon Hooker slides down that far. You were able to address the defensive side of the ball with Jalen Carter and Nolan Smith,” said Kiper. “They got the inside-dominating defensive tackle and got the outside pass rusher. And now you get a quarterback who could be the air apparent to Geno Smith. Learn behind Geno coming off a great year. Hendon Hooker is coming off an ACL in a college offense, a quarterback-friendly collegiate offense with great players around him. Hendon Hooker shined, but we talked about Joe Milton did as well when Hooker was hurt. So, for me, Hendon Hooker belongs more in round two. I have a late second-round grade on him. At that point in the draft, for the Seattle Seahawks, hey, it’s worth a roll of the dice.”
Hooker is a bit of a wildcard in this draft. Had he not suffered an ACL injury late in his final season at Tennessee, Hooker would likely be a sure-fire first-round pick. But for now, fans must wait to see when his name is called and where the former Vol lands at the next level.