Getty Malik Hooker of the Indianapolis Colts
Jamal Adams isn’t the only big-name safety that could be on the move during this week’s NFL Draft. According to Michael Lombardi of The Athletic, the Indianapolis Colts have made former top-15 overall draft pick and playmaking safety Malik Hooker available in a trade.
Teams Have Inquired About Hooker
Stephen Holder of The Athletic has a slightly different take on the situation, believing that Indy hasn’t shopped Hooker. However, teams have called the Colts to inquire about a potential trade to acquire the services of the Ohio State alumn.
The initial word I’m getting on Malik Hooker is that teams have called the Colts to inquire about him, NOT the other way around. Take everything w a grain of salt this time of year, but I believe this is very plausible.
Hooker’s Value Rises Due to Average Safety Class
Xavier McKinney of Alabama will likely be the first safety to hear his name called during this week’s NFL Draft. LSU’s Grant Delpit and Minnesota’s Antonie Winfield Jr. shouldn’t be too far behind. However, there’s no certainty that any of these players are cemented as first day prospects by the end of Thursday.
While each player offers starter upside and quality traits, the 2020 safety class lacks the elite playmakers that recent classes have deployed. Fittingly enough, one of those prime classes, the 2017 draft class, included Hooker himself.
The former Ohio State Buckeye was perceived as a locked-in top-10 draft pick coming out of college and was expected to battle now-Jets safety Jamaal Adams to be the top safety off the board.
Ultimately, teams began to grow wary of Hooker’s hip and a sports hernia injuries, leaving him to fall into Indianapolis’ lap with the 15th-pick.
Injuries & Defensive Fit Have Slowed Hooker’s Production
Hooker came out the gates hot to kick off his NFL career. He was a menace on the backend of the Colts defense, recording three interceptions and breaking up four passes in just six starts. Unfortunately, his rookie campaign was cut short after tearing his ACL and MCL in Week 7 of that season.
Hooker has since returned to serving as a quality player for the Indianapolis defense, while remaining adequately healthy for the most part, starting 13 games in each of the past two seasons. With that said, his playmaking abilities have seemingly taken a slight hit, as he has not served as the game-changer that he was in his rookie year.
While some write this off to him not fully regaining confidence in himself following his devastating knee injury. The bigger culprit at hand may actually have less to do with Hooker and more to do the Colts’ change in defensive philosophy, as pointed out by a Colts fan and Holder via Twitter.
Despite Hooker’s slight decline in play over recent years, he’s still a plus-athlete at just 24-years of age. He’s uber-talented, and if placed in the right system could blossom into one of the league’s very best defenders.
The Colts’ phone will likely be ringing off the hook with teams trying to pry Hooker away, who if was part of this year’s draft class, would be the run-away top safety on nearly everyone’s board.