ESPN analyst: Hendon Hooker could 'ultimately be a 10-year starter in the NFL'
Mike Tannenbaum, the former NFL general manager turned NFL Draft analyst for ESPN, turned heads three weeks ago when he projected Hendon Hooker as the No. 5 overall pick to the Seattle Seahawks as the eventual successor to Geno Smith.
On Monday Tannenbaum had an interesting player comparison for Hooker — Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott — and paid Hooker another huge compliment in the process.
“Prescott has been a productive top-12 quarterback in the NFL despite not having one real dominant trait,” Tannenbaum wrote. “And I think Hooker will have a very similar career. He has really good size at 6-foot-3, 217 pounds, arm strength and accuracy.”
ESPN ranks Hendon Hooker as No. 5 quarterback in NFL Draft
And Hooker has staying power in the league, according to Tannenbaum.
“While other quarterbacks in this class will get more hype,” Tannebaum wrote, “Hooker could ultimately be a 10-year starter in the NFL.”
Presscot was the 135th overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, selected in the fourth round by the Dallas Cowboys. Over 97 career games, he’s thrown for 24,943 yards, with 166 touchdowns against 65 interceptions while completing 66.6 percent of his passes.
ESPN’s ranking of the best available players for the NFL Draft has Hooker ranked No. 5 among quarterbacks — Alabama’s Bryce Young is No. 1, ahead of Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud, Florida’s Anthony Richardson and Kentucky’s Will Levis — and ranked No. 33 overall with an 87 grade.
Tannenbaum had three Tennessee players in the first round of his mock draft on March 28, with Hooker at No. 5 getting picked ahead of Darnell Wright (No. 14, New England Patriots) and Jalin Hyatt (No. 25, New York Giants).
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Hendon Hooker passed for 6,080 yards, 58 TDs, 5 INTs in two seasons at Tennessee
“OK, this one might raise some eyebrows,” Tannenbaum wrote of the pick at the time, “but hear me out. I think Hooker is really under-scouted right now, largely because he’s coming off the torn ACL in his left knee. But I love his strong arm and 6-foot-3 frame. Before the injury, Hooker looked great for the Vols. He led the nation in yards per attempt (9.5), threw two interceptions over 11 starts and was a top-10 passer in terms of completion percentage (69.6%). I see a potential franchise quarterback and someone who can lead an offense. Go watch his performance against Alabama if you disagree.
“The Seahawks recently re-signed Geno Smith,” Tannenbaum continued, “but this is an excellent opportunity to draft and develop Hooker while also letting him rehab the knee. Smith turns 33 years old this season, and his new contract offers Seattle various outs over the next three seasons.”
Hooker completed 69.6 percent of his passes in 11 games at Tennessee last season, throwing for 3,135 yards, 27 touchdowns and two interceptions. He tore his ACL on November 19 at South Carolina.
Hooker in two seasons with the Vols totaled 6,080 passing yards, 58 touchdowns and was intercepted just five times. He completed 68.8 percent of his 632 pass attempts in Josh Heupel’s uptempo offense.
