Hendon Hooker shows off recovery from ACL injury ahead of NFL Draft

Hendon Hooker has the date circled on his calendar: Sept. 1, 2023.

That is when the former Tennessee quarterback expects to be fully cleared for football activities, which would have him ready for the start of the NFL’s regular season, Sept. 7.

“I’m able to throw routes on air and stuff,” Hooker said, via The Athletic. “I’ll just be a non-active at first in terms of real competition. I’m just going to continue to heal, take it day by day.

“I’ll get cleared 100 percent by Sept. 1.”

The former Volunteers signal-caller was one of the top QBs in college football last season, which was cut short by a torn ACL in a 63-38 loss at South Carolina on Nov. 19. The injury effectively put an end to Hooker’s Heisman Trophy bid.

Hooker has gone through an extensive rehab process since the injury as he prepares for this week’s NFL Draft, which begins Thursday night in Kansas City. He shared videos on his Twitter account Wednesday showing him dropping back, working on his footwork and throwing.

“First day of dropping back during this morning’s session,” Hooker tweeted. “Feels great to move around again.”

The 2022 SEC Offensive Player of the Year expects to be an impact player at the NFL level, and he recently explained to USA Today that he believes he is the top quarterback in this year’s draft class.

“Of course, I would have myself at No. 1,” Hooker said when asked where he would rate himself among other QBs. “I won’t give you a ranking, but I will say I give myself No. 1.”

As for where NFL experts expect Hooker to land in the draft, projections are spread out across the board.

FOX Sports betting analyst Jason McIntyre has Hooker pegged to go No. 23 overall to the Minnesota Vikings in his most recent NFL mock draft, which was released earlier this week.

“The Vikings don’t have a second-round pick, and the staff and GM inherited Kirk Cousins,” McIntyre wrote. “Hooker taking over in 2024 would enable Minnesota to build around a QB on a rookie deal.”

Meanwhile, FOX Sports college football analyst Joel Klatt did not include Hooker in his recently-released first-round mock draft, nor did FOX Sports NFL writers Carmen Vitali and David Helman in their combined mock draft.

Klatt did include Hooker on his list of top 50 NFL Draft prospects, slotting him at No. 41.

“He’s the type of guy that I’m a little bit nervous about the system translating into the NFL,” Klatt said. “But as far as the game, the efficiency, the calm, the poise, I think Hooker’s a guy at 25 years old that will have a really positive impact on whichever quarterback room he goes to.”

Will Anderson Jr, Hendon Hooker in the top 50?

Joel Klatt broke down his top 50 players in the 2023 NFL Draft. He explained why each player stands out and how they could be successful in the NFL.

But while Bryce Young, C.J. Stroud, Anthony Richardson and Will Levis are widely believed to be the first four QBs to come off the board, not everyone believes that to be true.

FOX Sports NFC East reporter Ralph Vacchiano recently released 10 bold predictions ahead of the draft, in which he predicted Hooker will be selected ahead of at least one of the presumed top-four quarterbacks.

“He was the forgotten man for a while because of the ACL tear he suffered in November,” Vacchiano wrote. “But that was really a miscalculation by the media, because NFL scouts have always loved him. What’s not to love, really?

“Oh, right, there’s the matter of the ACL. He’s also 25 years old. But some team is going to overlook that and take him before anyone selects either Richardson, Levis, or possibly both. Keep an eye on Houston at 12. They apparently love him, according to several NFL sources (but not enough to take him at 2).”

While the ACL injury is certainly a concern for some NFL teams, Hooker put up impressive numbers in his two seasons at Tennessee, passing for 6,080 yards, 58 touchdowns and five interceptions in 22 starts. He also added 1,046 yards and 10 scores on the ground. Hooker posted a 9-2 record as a starter this past season, which included leading the Volunteers to the No. 1 ranking in the country heading into a November showdown with SEC foe Georgia.

Where Hooker will be selected remains a mystery, but positive medical reports and the video he posted on Wednesday could help.

“[He is] one of the biggest risers (back) up my board after medical evaluations at the combine proved he was progressing ahead of schedule from the ACL tear that abruptly ended his college career,” FOX Sports NFL Draft analyst Rob Rang said. “Hooker has the experience, production and instincts to project as a future NFL starter.”

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