Getty Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell delivered a message about the team's 2023 plans with quarterback Hendon Hooker.
The Detroit Lions are earning praise for the meticulous rebuild that has vaulted them to become division favorites, and one insider hints that an unexpected quarterback could eventually be the one taking the reins on the revamped team.
Heavy Sports insider Matt Lombardo named the Lions as one of the league’s rebuilt teams most likely to break through to the postseason this year, praising their work to improve on both sides of the ball under head coach Dan Campbell. While veteran quarterback Jared Goff is entering the season as the unchallenged starter, Lombardo hinted that rookie Hendon Hooker could be poised to take over as franchise quarterback sometime in the near future.
Lions Poised to Break Through
As Lombardo noted, Lions general manager Brad Holmes appears to have put the right pieces in place at the right time for a suddenly wide-open division. The departure of Aaron Rodgers from the Green Bay Packers and uncertainty around the Minnesota Vikings has led the Lions to become betting favorites to win the NFC North.
Lombardo pointed out that the Lions have taken great strides to improve a defense that finished near the bottom of the league in 2022, signing safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson and using a first-round draft pick on linebacker Jack Campbell.
The Lions also made some major improvements on offense, including what Lombardo noted was a smart draft pick in the Tennessee quarterback, Hooker.
Lions draft QB Hendon Hooker 68th overall 🦁
HUGE.
“Meanwhile, offensively, rookie Jahmyr Gibbs gives quarterback Jared Goff a slashing weapon in the backfield, and the Lions’ young receiving corps of Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams might be the most electrifying duo in the league. Just for good measure, and extreme value, Holmes drafted Hendon Hooker, who many believe has elite franchise quarterback upside.”
Lions Must Be Patient With Rookie Quarterback
It will take the Lions at least a full year before they can start to see the “elite franchise” upside in Hooker. The 25-year-old is coming off a torn ACL that cut short his final season at Tennessee, and head coach Campbell said Hooker will be going through a “red shirt” year as he recovers.
Though the Lions selected Hooker with the No. 68 overall pick, one NFC personnel executive told Lombardo that he believes the Tennessee quarterback should have been off the board in the draft’s first round.
“I love him,” the insider told Lombardo in a May interview. “I gave him a first-round grade. I had him as my No. 4 quarterback behind Will Levis. I had Hendon ahead of (Anthony) Richardson.”
Another NFL coach told Lombardo that Hooker could be walking into the perfect situation in Detroit, with an established starter in Goff that will allow the rookie to develop at his own pace without the pressure to start too soon.
“That was a great pick for Detroit,” said the coach, whose team was also in the market for a quarterback. “They get to let him get healthy and learn for a year behind Jared Goff.
“Hooker has the talent to be the guy in time, while not being thrown to the wolves as a rookie. You have no idea how much that’s going to benefit him.”
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Lions Rookie Could Grow into ‘Elite’ Franchise QB: Insider