“Hendon Hooker Is Going In The Top Half Of The First Round”
April 19th, 2023
Next Texans QB?
NBC NFL super insider and social pontificator Peter King has deep connections across the league and was sharing acquired draft intel on his podcast yesterday.
Consider that King spent a draft night with Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht in 2020.
Talking about University of Tennesee quarterback Hendon Hooker, King rather confidently floated the following:
With the No. 2 overall pick in the draft, the Houston Texans will trade down two picks to a quarterback-hungry team eager to move up. Then, Houston will draft a position player before it takes its No. 12 overall pick and other draft capital to move up to No. 10 overall, jumping the Tennessee Titans so they can draft Hooker.
King has been talking to movers and shakers across the NFL and is confident Hooker will be long gone by the time the Bucs’ No. 19 overall pick appears.
“The more I hear, I think Hendon Hooker is going in the top half of the first round,” King said.
Joe also expects Hooker to be gone early. All it takes is one team to believe Hooker is a legitimate franchise QB prospect. And it seems there are many more than one.
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April 19th, 2023 at 9:36 am
The guy threw 58 TD and 3 ints, that is difficult to do in a 7 on 7 drill, if any team that needs a QB is able to get draft capital and then still get HH in the 1st round, that will be a win win. HH probably will not be ready to play this year due to the knee injury but it will allow him to learn the game and get going next year. His age is whatever, but I think HH is going to be the next great NFL QB; I know that UT put up Spurrier like #s and that the same offense lit it up at UCF; but HH put the ball on his WRs who are not all 1st round picks. HH would be a great get for the bucs if they could get him at 19
April 19th, 2023 at 9:42 am
I’m not sure how much value NFL GMs place on King’s reporting. In this case, I hope that a GM (preferably in our division) reads King, panics, and spends a lot of picks to move up to draft Mr. Hooker. The more QBs that go in the top half of the draft means that more quality players from other positions will be available for us at No. 19. Stay right you are, Mr. Licht!
April 19th, 2023 at 9:47 am
“I know that UT put up Spurrier like #s”
**Mike Leach(r.i.p) like #s
Josh Heupel played for the Mad Scientist for a year at Oklahoma and designed his offense at UT off of a lot of the major principles Coach Leach made famous. Lit Alabama up too, that game by itself put the football world on notice.
April 19th, 2023 at 9:50 am
Mr Editor…bingo
April 19th, 2023 at 9:52 am
The problem with that strategy is that to the Eagles (Pick #10) the difference between pick #10 & #12 vs. say pick #10 & #19 is probably pretty negligible to them and they would get a much better haul from a team further back wanting to trade up. I think HOU could be outsmarting themselves with that thinking. Someone like us or more likely Washington could be planning the same thing.
If we take Levis though, my drywall is in danger…Hooker or trenches please
April 19th, 2023 at 9:55 am
Dooley; right on and big fan of Leach (rip) and you are spot on that Leach’s concepts have a big voice in Heupel’s head; As a Gator it kills me that UF is a dumpster fire right now and that the “new” spurrier of the SEC is in Knoxville and also that Leach was lighting it up in Starkvegas; the football world needs more Leach’s and Spurriers, just for the way they attack the day and their use of vocabulary when speaking
April 19th, 2023 at 10:02 am
Makes sense. Use your 1st round Draft pic on a ‘QB to sit and watch Mayfield and Trask while his knee fully rehabilitates and gets another year older. Just bypass the other glaring needs of the team.
WTF
April 19th, 2023 at 10:03 am
Hopefully Todd Bowels won’t ruin his career by drafting him
April 19th, 2023 at 10:17 am
I hope he’s there at 19 so we can get some picks from a team that wants to move up for him! We really can’t use that pick for a QB this year, too many other needs.
April 19th, 2023 at 10:19 am
Simple Todd doesn’t need to draft a QB to ruin his career, going 4-13 I mean 8-9 with Tom Brady as your QB for consecutive losing season number 4 sealed that deal.
April 19th, 2023 at 10:35 am
Good!
It will push an otherwise unavailable player into the Bucs position
April 19th, 2023 at 10:41 am
Believe it or not I really hope he’s there so we can draft him. Yes we have other urgent needs but in my opinion we’re to focused on this year and not the long game.
Just a few months ago people wanted them to thank for a top pitch knowing we’d feel a lot of holes in the draft now with baker and trask e can’t draft a quarterback for the future?
Let’s say baker moves on next year after a mediocre season and trask sucks as well. Then aren’t we stuck in the same predicament again? I doubt he’ll be there.
April 19th, 2023 at 11:04 am
@Dusthty
Agreed, always been a big fan of college coaches that pushed the envelop on either side of the ball. Coaches like Dana Holgersom, Chip Kelly, the Riley Bros and even Hugh Freeze all seem to have patterned their X’s, O’s and playcalling audacity to pretty high levels of success all owe Leach props. Football in Florida hasn’t been the same since the confrence realignments, which sucks cause UF vs. FSU or Miami vs. FSU used to be must see tv, now w/recruits having more say of where they play and for whom all that homegrown takes their talent elsewhere. I miss the Big East the most though.
April 19th, 2023 at 11:21 am
CRAZY DRAFT ALERT
If you pull up 4 mock drafts, you’ll see guys going in the teens in one draft that aren’t even in the other draft. This draft is really unpredictable. I expect teams to play it safe in the first round.
1. The top OTs to be gone before 19.
2. A top rusher will fall to 19.
Unless I’m wrong, the Bucs will pick a new DL.
April 19th, 2023 at 12:01 pm
Bucs are not going to draft a quarterback they don’t want to upset Mayfield.
April 19th, 2023 at 12:52 pm
I’m so torn on Hooker. Couldn’t care less about his age. If I’m right he’s got a chance of being one of two QBs in this draft that will be viewed as franchise qbs a decade from now. No one will be moaning that it’s too bad that he’s 35. On the other hand, there are so many other needs. Can the Bucs get a RT, a nickel, and some defensive line pressure if they trade up? That would be remarkable. Do you sacrifice some needs to get the potential franchise QB? If you’re sure, the answer is easy.
April 19th, 2023 at 1:09 pm
If this is the case, 4-5 QB’s going in first half
April 19th, 2023 at 1:16 pm
Let the other teams pick QB’s this year!! If they are picked before 19 then we will get a 10 ten player that is not a QB. DE, OT or DL will be there for us. I really like Nolan Smith from Georgia.
April 19th, 2023 at 1:19 pm
Let the other teams pick QB’s this year!! If they are picked before 19 then we will get a top ten player that is not a QB. DE, OT or DL will be there for us. I really like Nolan Smith from Georgia.
April 19th, 2023 at 1:36 pm
I’d pay modest amount of money to see teams’ draft boards post-draft to see how differently they viewed some of the same players, and which players they unknowingly place high values on collectively.
April 19th, 2023 at 1:58 pm
Don’t need to be reading no salacious headlines about Jason Licht spending his draft capital on a Hooker on Draft Day.
April 19th, 2023 at 1:59 pm
Todd Bowles isn’t going to draft ANYBODY. It’s NOT his call or his job!
April 19th, 2023 at 2:47 pm
Wrong. Not gonna happen. And when he turns out to be a cross between Bridgewater and Josh Johnson, that GM and coach will never work in the NFL again.
April 19th, 2023 at 2:54 pm
He will be the best QB in the long run in this draft. He will not go in the first round though.
April 19th, 2023 at 3:07 pm
I’m with the SlyPirate. D-trench (or edge).
April 19th, 2023 at 4:59 pm
I’m guessing that Hendon Hooker will slide to the bottom of the first or the top of the second…maybe even further.
Obvious Says
“Todd Bowles isn’t going to draft ANYBODY. It’s NOT his call or his job!”
You’re right, he doesn’t make the picks…but you can bet he has a lot of say-so on the defensive side of the draft.
Licht can build offensive lines and WRs, which is good…great actually…but he’ll have to rely on scouting and the HC for the defensive players.
So the way I see it, the first two picks will be OL and DL…in either order…although… it takes a couple years for secondary to develop, so I could see it being taken anywhere from 2nd to 4th round.
April 19th, 2023 at 8:04 pm
Trade down. He’s a bust
April 19th, 2023 at 9:49 pm
I was hoping he’d fall and we’d take him later
April 20th, 2023 at 3:40 am
Everybody is desperate for the next Patrick Mahomes.
LOL Hey Granny lets sell the farm and move to Vegas!
Heres a thought…Maybe Jason can get in on this action and take advantage of these desparate GMs. Trade up with White and Trask and then back down to another desparate GM for 14 pics in the second round.
Sorry forgot to take my meds again….
April 20th, 2023 at 3:47 am
But as long as we are throwing fantasy out there… What the heck 🙂
April 20th, 2023 at 3:52 am
BTW
Why would anyone buy anything Peter King is selling anymore?