Former Tennessee QB Hendon Hooker, who tore his left ACL on Nov. 19, is off crutches and told me he should be running by end of March and ready for training camp. He’s at the @seniorbowl to speak with teams — and says he’s still the best player in the draft. More on @nflnetwork pic.twitter.com/lYZpB6jbFV
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) January 30, 2023
One of the most hyped up and productive quarterbacks in the 2023 NFL draft class gave us a major injury update on Monday morning.
Tennessee’s Hendon Hooker, a Heisman Trophy favorite before an unfortunate ACL injury took him out of the season on November 19th against South Carolina, was projected as a potential first-round pick prior to the injury.
Hooker told NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero that he expects to be running by the end of March, and ready to go by training camp for whichever team lands him in the draft.
This is fantastic news for Hooker, who likely has had some of his draft stock suffer because of the injury, and the mystery surrounding his recovery time. With news he will be ready for training camp, it must ease the anxieties of teams who were looking at the Vols’ signal-caller to their quarterback room.
While that might not be enough to keep him in the first-round conversation, the news could put him back on track to be one of the passers off the board on Day 2, and should allow him to come in right away to compete for a backup position, or perhaps even a starting role.
It will be interesting to see how teams view Hooker’s injury and recovery time come draft weekend, and if a team will be willing to take a chance on a quarterback who was on his way to having one of the most productive seasons in recent memory.
Hooker has all the tools he needs to fight and claw his way into a starting role one day, and could end up being the steal of the draft.
