ESPN analyst names Hendon Hooker his favorite pick of the NFL Draft

The first round hype surrounding Hendon Hooker turned out to be nothing more than smoke. The 25 year old quarterback who is rehabbing his way back from a torn ACL slid down to the top of the third round, which is where most had him slotted all along.

Hooker ends up landing in Detroit, where Jared Goff is coming off of a productive season. Goff, who still is only 28 years old, is under contract for two more seasons. However, a $30 million cap hit will keep the pressure on him to produce in a big way. If he doesn’t, the Lions now have a potential solution behind him.

This landing spot doesn’t offer an immediate path to playing time, but it does give Hooker a chance to get healthy and settle in with no pressure. ESPN’s Matt Miller actually called the Hooker pick his favorite of the entire draft.

Matt Miller: Hendon Hooker, QB, Detroit Lions (No. 68).

The Lions have a real opening for a quarterback of the future behind Jared Goff, and Hooker will have time to heal from his torn ACL and learn behind Goff before any expectations are placed on him. The Tennessee QB came at good value in Round 3.

The Detroit offense was really good last season, ranking 4th in the league. The Lions have added more weapons this offseason, picking up running backs Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery and tight end Sam LaPorta. Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams form a stout young core at receiver for years to come.

Hendon Hooker could end up being the beneficiary should the Lions deem Goff’s pricetag to be too expensive.

Hooker has said all along that he’ll be ready to roll for training camp. We’ll see if that comes true in a few months. Detroit would love to get a long look at him during the preseason, but that’s going to come down to whether or not his knee is a full strength. They’re certainly not going to rush him into action.

By the way, Hooker will wear No. 12 for the Lions, the team announced earlier this week.