QB Hendon Hooker Says He's Best Player in 2023 Draft amid Recovery from Knee Injury

Tennessee star Hendon Hooker doesn't believe the torn ACL he suffered in November should significantly impact his stock ahead of the 2023 NFL draft.

Hooker told NFL Network's Tom Pelissero "he's still the best player in the draft."

The 25-year-old threw for 3,135 yards, 27 touchdowns and two interceptions in 11 games with the Vols in 2022. He's the No. 7 quarterback and No. 150 overall player on Bleacher Report's 2023 big board.

The ACL injury will obviously be a consideration when teams evaluate Hooker leading up to the draft. But larger concerns will stem from his age.

Lamar Jackson has five seasons in the NFL under his belt, and he just turned 26 earlier this month. Even Kenny Pickett, who was considered somewhat old compared to his fellow 2022 draftees, is a year younger than Hooker.

B/R draft scout Derrik Klassen explained the redshirt senior may not have a high ceiling at the next level, either:

"Not only will Hooker be 25 years old on draft day, but he is also neither a pro-ready prospect nor a supremely toolsy one. [...]"

"Hooker's tools are more good than great. His arm is nice, and he throws a good deep ball, but his natural throwing ability doesn't stand out. He's also a quality runner and can probably be used with some designed runs, though not nearly to the degree that Jalen Hurts, Lamar Jackson or Josh Allen can."

There's no question Hooker's two-year run with Tennessee did wonders toward his status as a draft prospect. In three seasons at Virginia Tech, he had 2,894 passing yards and 22 touchdowns. He surpassed both totals (2,945 yards, 31 touchdowns) in 2021 alone.

But the odds of Hooker catapulting ahead of Alabama's Bryce Young, Ohio State's C.J. Stroud, Florida's Anthony Richardson and perhaps even Kentucky's Will Levis are low. That's before you get to the standouts at other positions.

There's always at least one team willing to take a flier in the draft on a young quarterback who needs a year or two of seasoning before he's good enough to start. Hooker can't really operate on that kind of timeline when he's already in his mid-20s, so general managers will act accordingly.

You can't blame Hooker for having a high opinion of himself because self-confidence is a necessity when you have to hit the ground running in the pros. But he'll likely be waiting a while to hear his name called in April.