NFL Draft Rumors: QB Hendon Hooker 'Impressed' During Team Interviews at Senior Bowl

Amid questions about his health and age heading into the 2023 NFL draft, Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker may have helped himself with in-person meetings at the Senior Bowl.

Per The Athletic's Jeff Howe, the 25-year-old Hooker "impressed" teams in his interviews in Alabama this week.

Hooker is still recovering after suffering a torn ACL in Tennessee's 63-38 loss to South Carolina on Nov. 19. He was arguably the frontrunner for the Heisman Trophy at the time of the injury and still finished fifth in the final voting.

Speaking to ESPN's Pete Thamel earlier this week, Hooker said he's on track to be healthy by the time training camps open and he will be a "better version" of himself.

Despite not being able to participate in any on-field events at the Senior Bowl, Thamel noted Hooker accepted an invitation in order to meet with NFL teams and familiarize himself with pro offenses.

Hooker's age could end up being something that also drops him down draft boards. The last quarterback selected at 25 years of age or older was Brad Sorensen in the 2013 seventh round.

B/R's NFL scouting department has Hooker ranked as the seventh-best quarterback and No. 150 overall prospect in the 2023 class.

"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," Derrik Klassen wrote. "Hooker comes from Vols head coach Josh Heupel's offense, which is a simplified vertical attack that regularly cuts the field in half and/or plays with wide splits that will never be the base of an NFL scheme."

If Hooker is able to show NFL teams in the interview process that he has a strong understanding of a pro-style offense, it could go a long way toward improving his draft stock.

Hooker's inability to go through a full workout leading up to the draft is almost certainly going to cause problems if there are questions about his skill set, but teams are more willing to bet on a quarterback than any other position.

In two seasons as Tennessee's starting quarterback, Hooker threw for 6,080 yards, 58 touchdowns, five interceptions and completed 68.8 percent of his attempts.