Tennessee QB Hendon Hooker will visit Monday with the Detroit Lions, per NFL
Network’s Ian Rapoport, but hopefully this is just a smokescreen and not real interest by the team.
Detroit holds the sixth and 18th picks in the first round and has five picks in the top 80 of the April 27-29 NFL Draft in Kansas City.
Hooker is still recovering from a torn left ACL that he suffered late last season. At the time, he was a prime Heisman Trophy contender after throwing for 3,135 yards and 27 TDs to two interceptions.
The injury slowed his momentum as a first-round QB, but some pundits recently have predicted he could be drafted late in the initial round. (Yardbarker’s Drae Harris projects him as a fourth-round pick.)
Hooker said his injury is healing well and that he should be ready for training camp. But that could be a tad optimistic for a player coming off a major knee injury.
The
injury alone is enough to make Lions fans nervous about drafting Hooker high. Detroit, a popular pick to win the NFC North, needs upgrades for
the league’s worst defense and a WR corps that has questions.
The
Lions already have a solid quarterback in Jared Goff, who led the team to a 9-8 record and tossed 29 touchdowns last season. Hooker is unlikely to supplant Goff
as the starter as a rookie, so he would be sitting for an organization that needs high picks who are ready to play from the get-go.
Another concern about Hooker is his age. In January, he will turn 26. Goff, chosen with the No. 1 overall pick by the Rams in 2016, will turn 29 in October.
Hooker needs at least a year to develop and learn an NFL system. For a team ready to win now, he doesn’t
make sense with a pick in the first round. He doesn’t even make sense as a developmental option.
Lions fans
should hope the visit is just confirming what is already known – Hooker is a
good player but not a fit for Detroit.
