2023 NFL Draft Results: Hendon Hooker goes to the Lions in 3rd round

Finally, at the top of round three, Hendon Hooker is off of the board. The Detroit Lions took Hooker with the 68th pick of the 2023 NFL Draft.

He’ll slot in behind Jared Goff in Detroit, with the chance to develop over the next year or two.

Hooker fell out of favor at Virginia Tech, opting to hit the portal after the 2020 season. He committed to Jeremy Pruitt and Tennessee, which desperately needed a veteran quarterback at the time. Pruitt was fired just a month later, and Josh Heupel’s up-tempo spread attack landed in Knoxville. Hooker found himself in a bit of an odd spot, especially after the staff added Joe Milton out of the portal.

However, despite losing the quarterback battle in the fall, Hooker kept working. Eventually his number was called, and the rest is history. Hooker immediately elevated this offense, thanks to his immediate grasp of the system. His accuracy, athletic ability and toughness gave Tennessee a new identity, and Josh Heupel was quickly rolling.

Hooker led Tennessee to a special 2021 season as the Volunteers went 11-2 and won the Orange Bowl. If not for a bad night against South Carolina, Tennessee would have crashed the College Football Playoff.

Hooker put together two of the best statistical seasons we’ve ever seen at Tennessee. In 2021, he connected on 206/303 (68%) of his passes, throwing for 2,945 yards, 31 TDs against just three interceptions. He added 616 yards rushing.

He backed that up in 2022, hitting 69 percent of his passes while throwing for 3,135 yards and 27 touchdowns. Impressively, he tossed just two interceptions.

All eyes will be on Hooker this preseason for the Lions.