Lions Draft Hendon Hooker: Dynasty Rookie Outlook (2023 Fantasy Football)

The 2023 NFL Draft is here! After months of waiting, we finally know where the 2023 NFL Draft class will land. This information shapes the outlook for rookies in 2023 and beyond. We’re going to have you covered throughout and following the 2023 NFL Draft to help you prepare for your fantasy football leagues. Next up for many will be dynasty rookie drafts. To help you prepare to make your dynasty rookie draft picks, let’s dive into Thor Nystrom’s 2023 NFL Draft profile as well as Pat Fitzmaurice’s dynasty rookie draft outlook for Hendon Hooker.

Dynasty Rookie Picks & Predictions: Lions Draft Hendon Hooker

Let’s first see what NFL Draft expert Thor Nystrom says about Hendon Hooker.

Thor Nystrom’s 2023 NFL Draft Outlook & Player Comp

Player comparison: Desmond Ridder

Strengths

Fun combo of dual-threat utility and deep-ball acumen. Love the way he attacks downfield. When he’s got the look he wants, Hooker confidently lets it fly and typically drops a catchable ball on the hands. Legitimate running threat when he takes off. Makes good use of mobility in pocket. Hard target to hit flush – makes defenders miss in close quarters. As a scrambler, does a good job maintaining throwing threat until the moment he crosses the line of scrimmage, delaying the downhill trigger of coverage defenders. Astute at sensing pressure and working away from it while continuing to hunt downfield. Works with good timing — a trait needed in the Vols’ system.

Hooker rarely missed his window of opportunity to fire the ball in. Studious learner who improved every year in college. Mechanics have come a long way. He is very cognizant of his base when throwing — diligence that led to improved accuracy throughout his career. Appreciate how he keeps the ball out of harm’s way while providing a big-play threat. Hooker’s 58/5 TD/INT rate over the past two years is a testament to that.

Weaknesses

Hooker’s torn ACL from November needs the okay from your medical staff — and could delay the start of his rookie year. Which is unfortunate because he’s old for a prospect. Hooker, a sixth-year senior, will be 26 at the end of his rookie season. Late breakout in college. Didn’t scare anyone with his arm at Virginia Tech. Light came on after transfer to Knoxville. But that was under ideal circumstances. So much of Hooker’s production comes from the scheme. Josh Heupel is one of the sport’s best play-callers.

The Vols’ scheme cleaved the field in half for Hooker. Boy was Hooker confident reading his half of the field — but you just so very rarely see his head move from one side of the field to the other. The plays you’d see him go to the other side felt schemed – stacking receivers on one side of the alignment to create eye-candy confusion, feigning interest in that direction post-snap for a beat before hard-resetting to the other side of the field for the actual first-read.

How he’ll do with full-field reads in a pro-style offense at the next level is an open question. While Hooker senses pressure well and prevents defenders from crashing down on him early when he intends to leave the pocket, he’s strangely very little threat to actually throw while moving. Per PFF, Hooker completed only seven passes over 151 dropbacks the past two years when moved off his spot. NFL scouting reports will zero in on that tendency.

2023 Dynasty Rookie Draft Outlook: Hendon Hooker

If the Lions eventually decide that Jared Goff isn’t their quarterback of the future, Hooker could get a chance to lead an exciting, up-and-coming offense that includes WRs Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams, RBs Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery, and TE Sam LaPorta. Some people thought Hooker had a chance to be a first-round draft pick. He fell into the early part of the third round, which isn’t exactly a ringing endorsement of his NFL future, but it’s mildly encouraging that the Lions traded up to get him.

Hooker has an NFL-caliber arm and is an aggressive downfield thrower willing to take his shots and give his receivers a chance to make a play. In his two seasons at Tennessee, Hooker threw 58 TD passes and only five interceptions, averaging an impressive 9.6 yards per pass attempt. Hooker has good mobility and isn’t shy about taking off and running, which could be a boon to his fantasy value.

Hooker tore his ACL in November, so he’s going to miss his first NFL training camp and might not see the field at all in his rookie year. At 25 years old, Hooker is also an overaged prospect. He’s older than Tua Tagovailoa and only a few months younger than Kyler Murray. Tua has already played three NFL seasons and Murray has played four. Perhaps the biggest knock on Hooker is that he played in a simplified, ultra-QB-friendly offense under Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel, whose quarterbacks are only required to read half the field.

Hooker has virtually zero redraft value for 2023 as he recovers from his knee injury. In dynasty, he’ll be a mid-second-round pick in most superflex rookie drafts.