Dynasty Rookie Draft Profile: Hendon Hooker (2023 Fantasy Football)

To help you prepare for your dynasty rookie and startup drafts, Derek Brown is putting together a dynasty rookie outlook for each and every fantasy-relevant 2023 NFL Draft prospect. We are combining DBro’s fantasy outlook with the NFL Draft profile of Matthew Jones. Here’s our dynasty rookie draft profile for Hendon Hooker.

Expert Consensus 2023 Dynasty Superflex Rookie Draft Rankings: Top-50

Dynasty Rookie Draft Profile: Hendon Hooker

Hendon Hooker Dynasty Rookie Draft Outlook

Hendon Hooker has the prerequisite arm strength to make all the NFL throws, but he doesn’t have a cannon by any means. His short area accuracy can be sporadic, with him airmailing touch passes within ten yards of the line of scrimmage.

He is a “see it and throw it” quarterback. Hooker is not an anticipatory thrower. He does tend to stare down his first read, which results in corners jumping routes in the NFL. Hooker wasn’t asked to go through full-field reads, with many plays having a predetermined option and, at the most, Hooker having to get to his second option. The Vols also gave him a ton of stacked formations where his 1-to-2 progression was easy.

Hooker displayed rushing upside in college. He is adept at letting his blocks set up in front of him with adequate vision. He is not an explosive or dynamic rusher in the open field, so I wonder how much rushing production will translate to the NFL.

– Derek Brown

Hendon Hooker 2023 NFL Draft Outlook

Hooker has really made a name for himself the past two years, with Tennessee emerging as one of college football’s best teams in 2022. He certainly has some pro-style traits: tall, composed passer from the pocket with pretty sound fundamentals, impressive touch on his passes and the ability to make plays with his feet. However, ball placement is not as consistent as it should be. Tennessee also ran a relatively simplistic offense where he often had ample time to hang in the pocket and wait for his primary read to uncover. Consequently, Hooker will probably face an adjustment period at the next level and is perhaps best considered a developmental quarterback.

Projection: Round 3

– Matthew Jones

Check out the full 2023 NFL Draft profile for Hendon Hooker here