The Commanders hosted Hendon Hooker for a Top 30 Pre-Draft visit on Tuesday, which led a lot of folks to wonder exactly why?
Earlier in the day, SEC Network analyst Chris Doering told The Sports Junkies that Hooker could be a sleeper on draft boards for a few teams, given that he is already 25, has four years of starting experience between Virginia Tech and Tennessee, and has a strong pedigree in his dad, Alan, who is in the North Carolina A&T Hall of Fame after setting 18 program records there as a QB in the mid-1980s.
So why would the Commanders be interested? Well, because of the torn ACL he suffered late last year, Hooker could a steal at 16 or maybe even in the second round, and if they’re not sold on Sam Howell long-term, could he be the next man up in DC?
Maybe, or maybe it’s subterfuge, and Grant & Danny surmised both options Tuesday.
“Top 30 means you have 30 meetings post-Combine with potential draft picks, and sometimes, teams do this strategically, knowing other teams are keeping track of who you’re looking at, so they can try to manipulate the draft board a little bit,” Grant Paulsen. “Like, if the Commanders want to trade their pick and move down a little bit, it’s possible they could try to trick teams near them that maybe they’re going to take Hendon Hooker, so that someone has to trade to move up, or maybe even trade into their pick.”
Possible, but Hooker is a pretty good QB, too.
“Hooker had an amazing season at Tennessee, with 27 touchdowns against two interceptions and a rating of 175,” Grant said, “and he just doesn’t really make bad decisions and throw interceptions. At Tech, he went 124 straight completions without an interception at one point. The book on him has always said he won’t turn the ball over, which interests me, and he also has the arm to make all the throws and is a weapon running the ball too.”
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As Grant alluded to, Hooker had 1,666 rushing yards in 32 games between his last season at VA Tech and his two years in Knoxville, averaging 4.27 yards per carry in those games. How his ACL heals could affect that, but Danny Rouhier agreed that Hooker is a strong prospect.
“I really like him, and he’s easy to like – that game against Alabama was unreal – but what I’ve seen since has been puzzling to me,” Danny said. “It’s like with this ACL, people have decided he’s no longer a first-rounder.
It’s puzzling to me why this has given him a scarlet letter – to me, he has all the makings of a first-round QB: arm strength, accuracy, production, elusiveness, moving well in the pocket. Everything about him was really good, but it seems the thing that knocked him down is this ACL.”
That, plus his age, has certainly not helped in Grant’s eyes, as at that point he may be what he is and that’s it, but take those out of the equation?
“There are normal QB questions about him; he sails a lot of throws between the hash marks that will be picks in the NFL, he left a lot of scores on the field, and had trouble throwing on the move – but that’s all very normal,” Grant said. “So I think it’s the age and injury, but the last two years, 58 touchdowns and five picks. And this is in the SEC.”
Here’s the question for Grant, though: how early is too early?
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“You’ve committed for this season to Sam Howell, and Jacoby Brissett is a one-year guy, whether he’s a bridge or a backup,” Grant said. “If you can bring in Hendon Hooker and he can challenge Howell to be better, great, and if they compete and he ends up being really good, that’s awesome too, but do they have the luxury of being able to take a QB in the middle of the first round? Not something I would do, but if he falls to the middle of the second round, does he make sense there? Where is the value and when is too early to go QB with all their other issues?”
Who knows, but Danny whipped it around to liken the situation to how Sam Howell ended up a Commander in last year’s fifth round.
"When he's on the board in the third round and you like the guy, maybe you pull the trigger, but it's like, well, we have too much to do...and then the fourth round, the same," Danny said. "But when he's there in the fifth, that's ridiculous, and you have to take him. Maybe it's the same if Hooker is there in the second round."
Maybe, though, the best idea is to just leave it alone, and hope he's not there when it's time to pick?
"To me, my big picture answer is that I don't want them to commit to any QBs beyond this season, because I don't want the next group to inherit anybody," Danny said. "What I anticipate is another mediocre season that starts off poorly, and they dig out of a hole and end up around .500, and then new owners are here, Ron Rivera is gone, and they wipe the slate clean - and then a QB has to learn a new offense for the second time in two years."
Good think Grant at least thinks Hooker is still a first-round pick?
Follow Grant & Danny on Twitter: @granthpaulsen & @funnydanny
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