Peter King NFL Mock Draft: Hendon Hooker to Texans; Anthony Richardson to Vikings

Tennessee star Hendon Hooker and Florida's Anthony Richardson headed in significantly divergent directions in the newest 2023 NFL mock draft from NBC Sports' Peter King.

King had Hooker off the board at No. 12 to the Houston Texans, who used the second overall pick on Texas Tech edge-rusher Tyree Wilson. Richardson, meanwhile, fell all the way to the Minnesota Vikings at No. 23.

According to King, the Texans have "been doing work on Hooker in the last week or so."

Albert Breer of The MMQB provided more insight into the buzz surrounding the Volunteers QB:

"I've heard the Vikings tied to [Hooker] by a few other teams, with one even suggesting Minnesota could make a short move up to get a quarterback. I don't know if I'm buying the idea—with just five picks, the Vikings don't have a lot of capital to move around, and have spent the whole offseason trying to get younger—but I do believe a quarterback is in play for them, mostly because I don't think they'll do another deal with Kirk Cousins that's heavy on guarantees."

If Houston were to select Hooker with Richardson still on the board, it might be considered a bit of a shock.

Hooker is reportedly progressing well in his recovery from a torn ACL, but the injury undoubtedly presents a hurdle to his development as a rookie. And that's a bit of a concern for a player who's already 25, putting him at the older end of the spectrum for a draft prospect.

Bleacher Report NFL scout Derrik Klassen doesn't see a sky-high ceiling from Hooker, either, comparing him to a more mobile Bryce Petty and describing him as a "Day 3 flier" in the draft.

Hooker's two years at Tennessee were so good that you can understand why a team would take a chance on him toward the back end of the first round. From the Texans' perspective, though, you might as well go with Richardson if you're content to take on more of a long-term project.

The risks are obvious when you're selecting a quarterback who completed 53.8 percent of his passes and threw nine interceptions in his long season as a starter at the college level. Josh Allen, who addressed his accuracy issues to become one of the NFL's best quarterbacks, is the exception rather than the rule.

Still, Richardson arguably possesses the highest upside of any QB in the 2023 class. He's a dynamic runner with a cannon for a right arm. Allen and Cam Newton represent the peak of what he could be in the NFL.

The Vikings wouldn't believe their luck if he somehow landed into their laps that far into the first round.