Hendon Hooker Might Just Be Reality
Dustin Baker
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On April 27th, the Minnesota Vikings will strut to the podium for their first pick of the 2023 NFL Draft. The pick realistically could be anything besides an offensive tackle, tight end, kicker, or punter.
Other than those positions, everything is fair game.
Hendon Hooker Might Just Be Reality
And one of the most controversial Vikings theories from the last month involves Hendon Hooker, a 25-year-old quarterback recovering from a torn ACL. He was supposed to be a 3rd-Round pick in February, but for some reason, that all changed in March, and Hooker was dragged into the 1st Round — mainly to the Vikings at No. 23.
For a brief period, Hooker-to-Vikings was a fringe theory, only nibbled at as a draft-hype longshot. But then mock drafter after mock drafter began sliding him to Minnesota in Round 1, so much so that it couldn’t be ignored.
Fast forward to four days before the draft. and the Hooker prediction is intensifying, not subsiding. Hooker in Minnesota might just be reality.
ESPN’s Matt Miller authored a full mock draft Sunday, and predictably, Hooker was the guy for Minnesota, with no trade-backs mentioned. Miller wrote, “One of the most popular texts I’ve gotten from evaluators throughout the past 10 days has been some form of ‘Watch the Vikings for Hendon Hooker.’ That could be NFL scouts connecting dots, but the Round 1 talk for Hooker has been red hot since the combine and the Vikings do make sense for the dynamic passer.”
The first sentence about ‘most popular texts’ seems to indicate that the Vikings Hooker infatuation isn’t jest. And Minnesota didn’t extend Kirk Cousins’ contract beyond 2023 this offseason, signaling the end of his run in purple.
“With Kirk Cousins set to hit free agency following the 2023 season at age 35, finding his replacement should be a priority. Hooker will need to adjust to the spacing of the NFL after playing in the tempo spread at Tennessee, but he’s accurate and mobile, and he throws a beauty of a deep ball. As for Hooker’s ceiling, one NFL quarterbacks coach I spoke to said he believes he can be a top-15 starter,” Miller concluded.
Of course, one tidbit from Miller doesn’t create gospel. Last year, virtually every credible mock draft placed quarterback Malik Willis in Round 1 during the final week before the event. Several even edged Willis into the Top 10. The draft arrived, and Willis didn’t get swiped off the draftboard until Round 3 by the Tennessee Titans.
Drafts are designed to get wacky, and Hooker may indeed return to his February range — after Round 1. But smart draft folks almost universally agree the Vikings might pull the trigger at No. 23.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sal Spice. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ and The Doors (the band).
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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