Hendon Hooker ready 'to be a sponge' as the Detroit Lions' newest quarterback

Everything Hendon Hooker said during his media session with Detroit reporters Friday night after the Detroit Lions selected him at No. 68 overall in the third round of the NFL Draft:

Updating his rehab from the torn ACL, when he’s hoping to get back to football activities

“Recently, just started running on the (low gravity treadmill). It’s no gravity, just depending on what you’re comfortable with. I haven’t had any pain with my knee while I’m going through this process. Getting back on the field and being able to drop and move around a lot more now feels great. It’s a blessing just to take it day by day and get better.”

What his goal is in Year 1 behind Lions quarterback Jared Goff

“To be a sponge. To come in and learn everything, every nuance, how to be a pro. Then just admire him. He’s been in the league for a long time and he’s been doing a great job developing every year to get better and better. That’s all you can ask for. So I’m definitely going to be picking his brain whenever I can. I’m going to get annoying to him a little bit. But I’m just that type of person. I just want to get in and do my job, especially, and continue to get better day by day.”

His thoughts on what his most difficult jump to the next level will be

“Getting my leg healed, first and foremost. Then be able to just get adjusted to the speed of the game. There are guys at every position, not just a guy here at safety, a guy here at corner. There are guys at every position that make big-time plays. So just getting adjusted to the speed of the game and getting back to playing football. A lot of guys have been playing a lot of football from either Senior Bowl or just being in the flow of things. So just getting back in the flow of things is something I’m excited to get back into. But I think that’s going to be the biggest adjustment. The speed of the game and how fast everything is moving. I’m excited.”

The connection he had with the Lions during the pre-draft process

“It’s a blessing. Through my dad and through the game of football, it’s amazing how many connections (there are). It’s a small world once you get into this football world. And the further you go, it gets even smaller. So it’s a blessing to be around a lot of guys that I know. And also a lot of the guys in the building that are like family to me. I’m excited. I’m really lost for words right now. It’s really surreal for me. But it’s a blessing to be drafted by such a great organization and the history that it’s had. It’s amazing.”

The vibe he got during his in-person visit with the Lions in Detroit

“I enjoyed it. Getting in there, getting and install the night before we met on my visit, then having an incredible visit with everyone and just enjoying myself … working on a little bit of footwork. It’s an amazing process to be able to just pick the minds of great football minds whenever I can, or whatever I can do. Just the lifestyle here in Detroit or the things that are involved with the team, they did a great job of giving me the rundown, every single thing. Then spent some time with Emmanuel Moseley on the backend of my visit. We went out to eat and I just asked him about his knee process as well because he’s going through the same thing as well.”

When he expects to be back to full health, if he expects to challenge for playing time in his first season in the NFL

“Yeah, I’m taking it day-by-day. Continuing to control what I can control and keep a great attitude and work. That’s all I can do. While I was on my visits, I’m working in the hotel room, continuing to keep my upper body and lower body in some type of shape. When I came back home everyone said you look really big. I was just doing a lot of pushups and sit-ups and crunches. Then I have my blood flow circulation, trying to build my legs that way. So it’s been a grind and I just take it day by day. Whenever I’m ready to rock and roll, it’s going to be a sight to see.”

Detroit Lions general manager Brad Holmes playing at North Carolina A&T, where Hendon Hooker’s father and brother played, the connection there

“Him and my dad go back many years. Many years. They’ve been friends and have had a relationship. It’s cool. When he called me he said it was cool to call a Greensboro number. WE had a good laugh about that. But awesome, awesome guy. We had a great conversation on my visit and it’s always cool to have someone around you with some sort of connection.”

Coming from a family of quarterbacks 

“Leadership is very important to me. I think that me being a servant leader, and genuinely enjoying people succeeding, I enjoy people succeed; Any way that I can help them, and vice versa, I’m always going to be there for questions or assistance. My teammates, my previous teammates, know that about me. I’m going to be a good friend and a good teammate no matter what is going on. And leadership starts at the quarterback position. And however my role in leadership on the Lions goes, I just want to come in and soak up how to be pro and how things are ordered. So that when my number is called, I can step into that bigger leadership position. I’ll be prepared for it.”