ESPN NFL Mock Draft has Hendon Hooker going top five

Somewhat surprisingly, Hendon Hooker’s NFL Draft hype has been gradually increasing all winter long. It’s not often that you see that with guys coming off of ACL injuries, especially ones that occur late in the year. However, that’s exactly the case with Hooker, who sustained that injury the week before Thanksgiving.

Now four months later, Hendon is just one month away from learning his draft fate. Through the Senior Bowl and the NFL Combine — neither of which he was able to do anything on the field — his stock just keeps rising. Medical checks and team interviews have apparently gone very well, and Hooker has seemingly cemented his place as QB5 in this class.

Or could he be higher than that? ESPN’s Mike Tannenbaum, a former NFL executive, thinks so. He projects Hooker to go fifth overall to the Seattle Seahawks.

OK, this one might raise some eyebrows, but hear me out. I think Hooker is really under-scouted right now, largely because he’s coming off the torn ACL in his left knee. But I love his strong arm and 6-3 frame. Before the injury, Hooker looked great for the Vols. He led the nation in yards per attempt (9.5), threw two interceptions over 11 starts and was a top-10 passer in terms of completion percentage (69.6%). I see a potential franchise quarterback and someone who can lead an offense. Go watch his performance against Alabama if you disagree.

The Seahawks recently re-signed Geno Smith, but this is an excellent opportunity to draft and develop Hooker while also letting him rehab the knee. Smith turns 33 this season, and his new contract offers Seattle various outs over the next three seasons.

This assumes one major thing — Hooker’s medical checks have, in fact, been spectacular and he’ll be ready to take the field this fall and get all of those meaningful reps in camp. Seattle has a starter in Geno Smith, but as Tannenbaum noted, Seattle built in outs in that contract. Even if Hooker takes more time to get ready, this would be an ideal spot for him to land.

Hooker is the fourth quarterback off of the board in this mock, slotting in behind Bryce Young, CJ Stroud and Will Levis. Anthony Richardson tumbled down to 11th, landing with the Titans.

For the most part, Hooker has been projected at the top of round two. However, as we know, teams love to dip back into the back few picks of the first round to pick up that fifth-year option down the road.

Hooker’s age (25) and knee are the two glaring issues for him as a prospect. Some will ding him playing in a college-style spread offense with tempo, which might minimize his need to get through progressions. However, his complete mastery of Josh Heupel’s attack and how quickly he did it has to be noted. His accuracy, especially down the field, was spectacularly consistent for the last two seasons. Hooker’s athletic ability and overall toughness are simply bonuses.

Now, will he go top five? I think everyone would be shocked. But you’re starting to get the feeling that the first round is very much on the table here.