Hendon Hooker to Seahawks, Anthony Richardson to Titans in Tannenbaum's GM Mock Draft

Hendon Hooker surged up the board in the newest 2023 NFL mock draft from ESPN's Mike Tannenbaum.

The former New York Jets general manager projected the Tennessee star to go fifth overall to the Seattle Seahawks, arguing Hooker is "a potential franchise quarterback and someone who can lead an offense."

Florida star Anthony Richardson, who has been floated as a candidate for the No. 1 pick, fell to the Tennessee Titans at No. 11.

"He has compelling upside but needs more time to develop, and Tennessee wouldn't have to rush him with Tannehill under contract for another year," Tannenbaum wrote.

It would be somewhat surprising for Richardson to fall out of the top 10 given how much his stock has risen in recent weeks. He's the proverbial boom-or-bust prospect, so you can at least see enough teams getting scared off on draft day.

Hooker moving into the top five would be shocking, though.

The 6'3" signal-caller was electric in his two seasons at Tennessee, throwing for 6,080 yards and 58 touchdowns and completing 68.8 percent of his passes. But he's also a 25-year-old rookie coming off a torn ACL in November.

Kirk Cousins was 27 when he became the Washington Commanders' full-time starter in 2015, and Aaron Rodgers was 25 when the Green Bay Packers had him succeed Brett Favre in 2008.

Hooker could take over for the Seahawks in 2024 and go on to have a long, productive career.

Still, you have to wonder whether the No. 5 pick is a bit of a reach for a player who's not only older compared to his peers but also not exactly a sure thing.