If not for a ruptured ACL late in his final college season, Hendon Hooker could have been a Heisman Trophy nominee. Beyond that, he would have been selected sooner than the third round of the 2023 draft. Following a trade down, the Detroit Lions drafted him 68th overall, understanding that his rookie season would be a “redshirt year” as he recovered from a ruptured ACL.
Hooker’s future in Detroit is uncertain as things move (although slowly) toward an inevitable contract extension for Jared Goff. He entered the league as an older prospect, and he is currently 26 years old. Last year, Lamar Jackson was 26 years old and in his sixth NFL season, providing a clear example of his age.
Depending on the length of Goff’s extension, Hooker may not see significant snaps during his entire rookie contract. In a broader sense, Goff would have to go down to a significant injury for Hooker to play. That’s where any critique of drafting him, with his older age laced in, can start.
Ryan Mathews of Pride of Detroit recently posed the idea, “What if Hendon Hooker is good?”. It’s a hypothetical, and Dan Campbell has acknowledged the pure unknown element of, along the fine lines of his age: is he a tradeable asset if he demonstrates capability? and using a top-70 choice on him with the intention of having him serve as backup if things go as planned.
How essential is Hendon Hooker for the Detroit Lions?
On Monday’s episode of “Karsch and Anderson” on 97.1 The Ticket, the hosts discussed Hooker.
Scott “Gator” Anderson has great interest, as most people do, in seeing how Hooker looks during the summer.
“My reasoning is simple: He was the best quarterback in college football before he got hurt”, Anderson said. “(I’m) dying to hear and see what Hooker looks like this summer after he spent most of last season rehabbing from surgery: “Does he have a grasp on the offense now? Is he going to look like a deer in the headlights or is he going to look competent and like he can handle the position? That’s what I want to see.”Because you know he’s got the physical tools, he’s got the ability. I’m not expecting him to unseat Jared Goff. I’m expecting him to be the guy who looks like he can step in if Goff gets hurt.”
Looking good in shorts and a t-shirt is worth what it’s worth (not a lot), but looking healthy and sharp during OTAs will be a meaningful step for Hooker.
Co-host Doug Karsch went a little further, calling Hooker “an incredibly important Detroit Lion” this season and moving forward.
“If I’m trying to win a Super Bowl, I need a quality backup quarterback. I need somebody who can win a game on short notice because my guy got banged up”, Karsch said. “I am not foolish enough to expect our quarterback to make it through 17 games for the (third) year in a row,” says Karsch. “You don’t get to decide if your quarterback gets hurt or not, and I’m scared that we got lucky. Last year, half the quarterbacks in the league missed time.”
Hooker is the Lions’ No. 2 quarterback this season, unless anything changes that. He has no path to starting right now, but he must demonstrate that he can competently step in if something happens to Goff during a season with legitimate Super Bowl aspirations.
If Hooker fails to make adequate improvement, the present backup quarterback plan will have to be changed. So he’s a really key guy for the Lions right now, although in a sneaky way, as more meaningful offseason training approaches.
