Pro Day Q&A: Hendon Hooker updates his health, talks NFL Draft process

Everything former Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker said while meeting with reporters after the Vols held Pro Day on Thursday in Knoxville, updating his timeline for return after tearing his ACL in November and the process leading up to the NFL Draft:

Going through the pre-draft process

“It’s been great just to be able to sit down and watch ball, showcase some of my things on the cerebral side of the game. And just learn from them. They answer all my questions. I’m just having a great time.”

How he’s been able to move up in recent NFL Draft projections

“Just really showcasing my football IQ and the character that I have and what I bring to an organization.”

Throwing with Cedric Tillman and Jalin Hyatt on Thursday, on being cleared to throw standing up after the NFL Combine

“So the next checkpoint is in a week and a half. Get the drop back. Actually take some drop backs. But I feel good. Just coming out here and being able to be out on the field and throwing to my guys has been a blast.”

How difficult it is for him to not be able to do all the stuff he wants to do during the pre-draft process

“Very difficult. I’m getting a lot of pushback from my mom about me just warming up. So it’s very difficult for me not to go out here and do what I love.”

When he’s hoping to be able to run 

“Three weeks.”

If he thinks he’ll be healthy for the start of the NFL season

“Yeah, well, I just met with my doctor on Monday. He said I would be good. So, yeah, looking forward to it.”

His thoughts on some of the critiques his game gets from draft analysts 

“It’s always funny to hear people talking about our offense. But, you know, there are a lot of intricacies that go into what we do and how we do it. It’s a lot of things that you have to process. So the mental side of the game is at an all-time high. The physical side of the game, it looks easy because we make it look easy. Not just because it’s easy.”

Getting on the whiteboard in front of NFL personnel during the interview process

“Yeah, for sure. Honestly, I feel like that’s the bottom line of being able to be a big-time quarterback or just a quarterback in general. Or a big-time ballplayer. Being able to showcase what you know on the board, for it to come naturally because that’s what you do. This is what we do on a daily basis. Actually putting in work. Like I’ve said many times (during) this whole draft prep season, I’ve spent a lot of time in the mirror just drawing. Any time I walk past a mirror, there’s an Expo marker right there, I’m going to draw on it. That’s something I just enjoy doing because I love the game of football.”

What he feels his strongest attribute is as a quarterback

“What I do best is leadership. Being personable. Being able to communicate with my teammates at a high level and communicate with others in the building at a high level. The energy that I bring and just the competitive nature. I feel like that’s the second thing. And then it would be my accuracy.”

How many NFL teams he has talked to at this point

“All of them.”

If he gauges how those conversations go, how interested certain NFL teams might be based off their talks

“Those are thoughts, just naturally, human nature. You’re going to think those thoughts. I just take it one step at a time and approach each situation differently.”

What NFL teams are asking him during their meetings

“Anything and everything. We talk about basketball, talk about childhood, where I grew up in North Carolina. My family. What I like it to do in my off time. Then we talk football.”

His draft projections being all over the board, if he has an expectation 

“No. I just want to play football.”

How he plans to watch the NFL Draft

“Yeah, I’ll be in Greensboro, North Carolina, with my family.”

Some of the wildest stuff he was asked during meetings with NFL teams

“It’s really crazy. I get that question a lot. But there wasn’t any off-the-wall question or something I wasn’t prepared for.”

The interactions with other quarterbacks in the draft class at the Senior Bowl and NFL Combine

“It was great. The guys that I was with at the Senior Bowl, Max Duggan, Clayton Tune, I’m with those guys every day. So that was just our regular routine. We would talk about the normal stuff. Then football. Then hopping into the playbook. Then at the combine, those are all guys I’ve been around as well. I’m with Will (Levis) every day. Malik Cunningham, been around him since we were in high school. We used to go to camps together. That quarterback dynamic and quarterback brotherhood runs deep. Any time that we can shed some light or talk ball — me and Bryce Young talked about plays for an hour and a half in the airport. Any time we can just talk and spend time, it’s great.”

Up Next: NFL Draft, April 27-29, Kansas City

This group of Tennessee draft prospects

“I’m really excited. I’m excited for my teammates, for the culture of Tennessee getting back to where it belongs, at the top of college football. Us just showcasing everything we’ve had here, from the brotherhood, from how we compete. And bring that to the next level as well.”

Which quarterbacks he watches and tries to implement their game into his

“Honestly, whenever I’m preparing for a game on Thursday, I usually look at the previous five games that the team we’re about to play has played. And the things that the quarterbacks have done that worked against their defense, I try to implement some of that into my game. And since I’ve seen the work, I know hey, I can use this and it will work that defense. So really, I look at everybody. I feel like my game most resembles Deshaun Watson’s and a little bit of Josh Allen as well. But that’s about it.”

What he’s heard from NFL personnel about the Tennessee offense and how it might translate at the next level

“The biggest thing has been talking protections and what I do at the line of scrimmage and how much control I have. And when I’m playing, what my process is and the different things I’m doing at the line of scrimmage to take control of the offense and make sure that we’re getting what we need to get out of the play. It’s been cool just to see, ok, now we get to see the backstory on why we’re doing things and how it’s being done to get the success we’ve had.”