If not for an ACL tear sustained in early November, Tennessee’s quarterback Hendon Hooker could be talked about as a top QB being selected somewhere in the top 5.
NBC Sports’ Peter King actually Hooker being selected by the Houston Texans, but not with the No. 2 overall pick.
King had Hooker off the board at No. 12 to the Houston Texans, who used the second overall pick on Texas Tech edge-rusher Tyree Wilson. According to King, the Texans have “been doing work on Hooker in the last week or so.”
The whispers about the Houston Texans passing on a quarterback with the No. 2 pick will likely get louder after Peter Schrager on Good Morning Football said the Texans are not “scared” to pass on a quarterback with the second overall pick and take a top defensive player instead.
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Hooker is reportedly progressing well in his recovery from a torn ACL, but the injury undoubtedly presents a hurdle to his development as a rookie.
Hooker was in the middle of his best collegiate season at Tennessee during the 2022 campaign, completing 69.6 percent of his passes for 3,135 yards and 27 touchdowns while leading the Volunteers to a 9-2 record.
His injury is even more concerning for a player who’s already 25, putting him at the older end of the spectrum for a draft prospect.
Hooker’s two years at Tennessee were so good that you can understand why a team would take a chance on him. The Texans are not expected to be good, so they may be trying to position themselves to take an even better QB in next year’s draft.
With the Carolina Panthers expected to draft Bryce Young, the quarterback-needy Texans appear set to pass on Anthony Richardson, Will Levis, and C.J. Stroud.
The idea of Hooker landing with the Texans isn’t as farfetched as one may assume. A source told TexansDaily that Hooker was “hugely impressive” to the Texans at the NFL Combine and during his Top-30 visit.
