Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker is heading to Detroit.
The record-setting signal caller was selected 68th overall by the Detroit Lions in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft on Friday.
He is the first Tennessee quarterback drafted since Josh Dobbs, who went in the fourth round in the 2017 draft, and the highest drafted quarterback since Peyton Manning was the first overall pick in 1998.
Despite suffering an ACL tear late last season, Hooker was the catalyst for Tennessee's first 11-win season in more than 20 years and spent much of his senior campaign in the Heisman Trophy conversation, posting prolific numbers each week.
By the numbers
Hooker arrived at Tennessee in 2021 as a transfer from Virginia Tech where he played the three previous seasons.
He sat behind Joe Milton III in the first two games in his first season with the Vols but made a quick impression in a narrow loss to Pittsburgh in the second game of the season. Hooker started the rest of the 2021 season, setting the stage for a historic senior campaign.
In 2022, Hooker led a Tennessee offense that averaged 525.5 yards and 46.1 points per game. He tossed for 3,135 yards and 27 touchdowns and earned a reputation for playing clean football, throwing just two interceptions in 11 games.
Hooker was just the fifth quarterback in program history to pass for more than 3,000 yards in a single season and his 69.6 completion percentage was the highest among quarterbacks in a single season in program history.
The ACL injury prevented Hooker from participating in the NFL combine or the team's pro day and he was only recently able to drop back and pass. That injury coupled with Hooker's age at 25-years-old didn't seem to effect his draft stock too drastically.
Just weeks before the draft, Hooker shot up some boards and was projected as a first round pick, even among highly rated quarterbacks C.J. Stroud (Ohio State), Bryce Young (Alabama), Will Levis (Kentucky) and Anthony Richardson (Florida), but ends up going in the third round.
What they're saying
ESPN analyst Todd McShay: "Sometimes it stinks to wait, but how about this situation? (Detroit quarterback) Jerrod Goff is there for one more year. You're talking about one of the best offensive lines in all of football ...This is a beautiful situation. Right away, (Hooker) steps into the best situation."
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