The Lions have their eventual backup to Jared Goff, and their potential successor: Detroit drafted Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker No. 68 overall Friday night after trading down twice from No. 55 and No. 63.
Hooker is coming off two terrific seasons for the Volunteers, throwing 58 touchdowns to five picks after transferring from Virginia Tech. But the height of his upside remains to be seen: he's 25 years old and coming off a torn ACL in November.
Brad Holmes and the Lions remain committed to Goff, 28, who's signed through 2024. But whenever Hooker returns to full health, he'll give them a quality backup, at the very least. He's a threat with both his arm and his legs and should be an upgrade over current No. 2 Nate Sudfeld.
Holmes acknowledged this offseason that the Lions wanted to deepen the quarterbacks room, specifically with someone they could "continue to develop." Hooker threw for over 6,000 yards and rushed for over 1,000 at Tennessee, which makes him a worthwhile project in today's NFL.
NFL.com draft analyst Lance Zierlein says Hooker has "excellent poise and footwork as a pocket passer" and "will make play-callers happy with his adherence to keeping plays on schedule." He also has the ability to extend plays and hurt teams with his speed.
The Lions hosted Hooker on a top-30 visit earlier this month. Now he's coming to Detroit for real.
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