ESPN analyst and former New York Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum believes that were it not for an injury, there’d be a different No. 1 pick in this year’s draft.
Per the SEC Network’s Paul Finebaum, “[Mike Tannenbaum] says Tennessee’s Hendon Hooker would have been considered for the No. 1 overall draft pick had he not torn his ACL.”
Saying, “Just put the Alabama game on. He was exceptional. When you’re evaluating competition, you evaluate them against the best competition.”
.@RealTannenbaum says Tennessee’s Hendon Hooker would have been considered for the No. 1 overall draft pick had he not torn his ACL.
“Just put the Alabama game on. He was exceptional. When you’re evaluating competition, you evaluate them against the best competition.”
— Paul Finebaum (@finebaum) March 28, 2023
Hooker was having an outstanding season up until the point that he blew out his knee against South Carolina.
Not only was the senior QB well on his way to being a Heisman finalist, but its possible his Volunteers could’ve snuck into playoff contention.
At 6-foot-4, 218-pounds, Hooker is athletic and stoutly-built with excellent poise and footwork from the pocket. He played point guard extremely well in Josh Heupel’s spread offense and should be worth a flier for somebody at some point in the draft.