Former Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker is expected to hear his name called relatively early during the NFL draft. The 25-year-old is coming off a serious knee injury he sustained during his final season with the Volunteers, but he reportedly has informed teams that he’s expected to be cleared to play by the start of the regular season.
According to Pete Thamel of ESPN, Hooker’s doctor sent a letter to all 32 NFL teams informing them that the quarterback was on a “fast recovery trajectory” after undergoing surgery to his knee.
Hooker tore his ACL in November and underwent surgery in December. He sustained the non-contact injury in a game against South Carolina on Nov. 19.
In addition to the message sent out across the league, Hooker shared video footage of himself performing drop-back drills as well as throwing a football on Wednesday.
First day of dropping back during this mornings session… feels great to move around again #StackingDays pic.twitter.com/Pqy9aKnFhP
— Hendon Hooker (@henhook2) April 26, 2023
Regarding his availability for the regular season, Hooker expressed confidence he’d be given clearance before the campaign kicks off.
“I’ll get cleared 100 percent by Sept. 1,” said Hooker, via The Athletic.
Hooker was the SEC Offensive Player of the Year in 2022, despite his season being cut short by the ACL injury. He threw for 3,135 yards, with 27 touchdown passes and just two interceptions while completing 69.6% of his passes in 11 games last season.
