Hendon Hooker to Titans, Will Levis to Texans in Peter Schrager 2023 NFL Mock Draft

In his latest mock draft released Tuesday, NFL.com's Peter Schrager had five quarterbacks coming off the board inside the first 12 picks, including Tennessee's Hendon Hooker and Kentucky's Will Levis.

After mocking Alabama quarterback Bryce Young to the Carolina Panthers at No. 1 overall, Schrager projected the Houston Texans to trade down from No. 2 to No. 4 with the Indianapolis Colts. Schrager then had Indy take Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud second and the Texans take Texas Tech pass-rusher Tyree Wilson fourth overall, but he still mocked a quarterback to Houston with its second first-rounder at No. 12 in the form of Levis.

One pick before that, Schrager projected Hooker to remain in the state of Tennessee by going from the Volunteers to the Tennessee Titans at 11th overall.

Sandwiched in between the top two picks and Hooker and Levis at 11th and 12th was Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson, whom Schrager mocked to the Seattle Seahawks at fifth overall.

The Titans feel like a team that could trade up in an effort to secure their quarterback of the future, as the 34-year-old Ryan Tannehill battled injuries last season and wasn't particularly productive when healthy.

They are in an advantageous position in that they can stick with Tannehill in 2023 even if they do draft a quarterback, which would allow the rookie to sit and learn behind a veteran.

Hooker would perhaps be the perfect candidate for that situation since he suffered a torn ACL in November and may not be ready to play at the start of the 2023 regular season anyway.

When healthy, Hooker was a dominant force in his final two collegiate seasons at Tennessee, completing 68.0 percent of his passes for 2,945 yards, 31 touchdowns and three interceptions in 2021 and then completing 69.6 percent of his passing attempts for 3,135 yards, 27 touchdowns and two picks last season.

Hooker also showed great mobility, rushing for 1,046 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2021 and 2022 combined.

While it would be somewhat surprising if the Texans pass on a quarterback at No. 2 overall, the scenario presented in Schrager's mock would prove beneficial.

In a trade down from second to fourth with the Colts, Schrager had Houston acquiring either star defensive tackle DeForest Buckner or extra draft picks, as well as taking a top pass-rusher in Wilson at fourth overall.

Then, Schrager had a potential top-five pick in Levis falling to the Texans' next pick at No. 12, making him the fifth and final quarterback off the board in the first round.

There are some question marks surrounding Levis, as he struggled at times for the Wildcats in 2022, completing 65.4 percent of his passes for 2,406 yards, 19 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.

Ball security was an issue, and he took his fair share of sacks (37) as well, leading observers to wonder if he can clean up his game at the next level.

Physically, Levis is impressive, with a huge arm and ideal size for an NFL quarterback at 6'4" and 229 pounds.

The Texans don't have much to speak of at the quarterback position right now with Davis Mills and Case Keenum as their top options, so Levis would be given every opportunity to succeed.