Getty Hendon Hooker fires a warmup pass for Tennessee in 2022 vs. Georgia.
The Detroit Lions drafted Hendon Hooker in the third-round of the 2023 NFL draft, and perhaps the biggest reason the quarterback slipped was due to injury concern.
Hooker is rehabbing his knee after he sustained an ACL injury late in the 2022 season. He’s been rehabbing since he went down on November 19 against South Carolina and then had surgery, and Hooker has done a solid job of rehabbing.
How have the workouts been going? As he explained while appearing on SiriusXM NFL Radio following being selected by the Lions, things are moving in the right direction as it relates to his recovery before 2023.
Hooker admitted he ran last week and felt good, and the knee is not giving him problems at this point.
.@Lions Quarterback Hendon Hooker told us how excited he is to start his career in Detroit and discussed his ACL rehab…
“Currently just taking it day-by-day and trying to build the strength in my leg. Got an opportunity to run for the first time last week and ran a couple times last week. Felt really good, not giving me any problems. Being able to drop back and throw,” Hooker said on the show. “I’ve got a lot of timing routes because I’m just trying to take everything slow and not rush it. Feels great to be able to move my feet and throw the ball like I want to with velocity and power.”
As Hooker also explained, he feels as if he will be in an even better place when he transitions to the NFL, because he has worked on strengthening the lower part of his body. As a result, he may throw an even better football with more power. It’s also made him stronger as a person and player.
“I already know once I get back to 100% it’s going to be a totally different ball than I’ve been throwing. Just as far as me building my lower half so much, it’s going to be a lot more explosion on the ball. I’m excited to get back to a better me. This whole process has been a journey and I’ve learned a lot of life, a lot of adversity and how to persevere through, so it’s made me stronger,” he said.
The good news for Hooker and the Lions is the expectation seems to be that the quarterback will be ready for training camp. The Lions may elect to sideline him a bit further so he can take ample time to get healthy, but it feels as if things are progressing in the right way for the quarterback.
Hendon Hooker Offers Reaction to Lions’ Selection
After the Lions made Hooker the 68th pick in the 2023 NFL draft, the quarterback was pretty excited in the moment celebrating with his family.
Speaking to NFL Network after being selected, he sent a message that he was ready to come in and work as he acclimates to the team. After that, Hooker hopped on Twitter and showed his excitement with joining the team in a tweet.
“Lessgooo,” Hooker tweeted along with a saluting emoji.
Already, Hooker looks as if he is very ready to get to Detroit to embrace the challenge of being a quarterback for the team. He feels as if he is ready to get back to work as soon as possible toward helping the team.
Hendon Hooker’s College Stats & Highlights
Detroit’s fit with Hooker is intriguing. He has plenty of raw talent, but also sustained a tough knee injury this past season which could threaten his future development.
While Hooker put up 3,135 yards and 27 touchdowns to just two interceptions in 2022 as a leading Heisman Trophy candidate, he also was felled by a torn ACL in November of last year, which is certain to impact his draft stock. Combine that with his age (25), and Hooker is sure to be a polarizing prospect.
There’s no questioning the ability of the quarterback that transferred from Virginia Tech to Tennessee in 2021, however. Hooker put up 8,974 yards in his career and 80 passing touchdowns to just 12 interceptions. He also added 2,079 rushing yards and 25 touchdowns on the ground, proving his dual-threat impact.
As he continues to work on his recovery, Hooker is going to work hard to prove himself a fit. His talent as well as his mindset will help the team, and it sounds as if he’s in good shape moving forward as the recovery continues.