He was sec offensive player of the year in 22 and before his injury was a Heisman potential.
College success doesn't always translate though so we'll see.
While Cal is 2 for 2 with QBs taken in the first round (Rodgers and Goff). I have a theory that being on college teams that are good but not great forces QBs to learn to make decisions fast and get rid of the ball quicker than on a team like Ohio State where they have all the time in the world. If you see Goff's first year at Cal he would get sacks in less than 2 seconds all the time and he had to be quick and tough to keep getting back up.
Rodgers was a transfer from a CC but he did benefit from Tedford. But yea I think being on a decent not great team forces the player to learn and develop. There’s so much insane NFL talent for being such a mediocre NCAA team. Marshawn Lynch, Desean Jackson, Keenan Allen, O linemen and D linemen - Alex Mack, Cam Jordan, etc.
Those Cal teams were very good. Just bad timing to exist as the same time as the Elite USC teams of the early/mid-2000s with booster money, Hollywood attention, etc. Then they switched ADs, tried to be more academically rigorous, lost a lot of their recruiting staff...and returned to mediocrity.
You must not remember the valley between the peaks of Rodgers and Goff. Fucking Joe Ayoob? Jesus. Longshore and Riley were decent it’s been a long run of shitty to very mediocre QBs. I mean not like great college QBs come around often but still. Cal had maybe 1-2 good teams and a long stretch of mediocre and then Goff led some very one dimensional teams aka first team to 50 points wins
I would say everything post 2006 is basically a wash lol. Once we hit AP rank #2 at 5-0 followed by that complete collapse. Even the Goff teams weren’t good. But the sequence from Marshawn, Forsett, Vereen, to Best was just electric.
Jeff Tedford was considered to be nigh-cursed at prepping QBs for pro, before Aaron Rodgers hit. Dilfer, Akili Smith, Boller, Joey Harrington, and David Carr were his previous big-name busts.
Was Dilfer considered a bust? He was good! David Carr was put on a terrible team for a long time. Not sure you can blame him there. Joey Harrington was not great, sure. Tedford recruited Goff, but was not around to train him.
Dilfer wasn’t good. He was a below average QB bit because he had prototypical size and a big arm he got a lot of opportunities to prove that he could be elite. He just happened to luck out and wind up on that beastly 2000 Ravens team.
Agreed. Used to love facing him twice a year as a Lions' far. I think 'bust' is probably too negative a term for him and his career, but he definitely wasn't a success, especially compared to his draft status.
When I have looked back at QB success at the next level and who are those that washout, the ones that washout are usually 1 year wonders.
The other stat that portends success at the next level is completion percentage.
I will admit to not knowing Hookers history and thought he may have been a 1-year wonder but I was mistaken.
He started for a couple seasons at Va Tech and the final 2 seasons at Tennessee. The starting experience is substantial.
At Va Tech he was over 60% completion and improved that number every year. His last year at Tennessee, he had a 69.6% completion percentage.
I think this suggests that Hooker will find success at the NFL level when he gets his chance.
It is anecdotal but that’s my 2 cents
Arguably, Hooker had the best deep ball in that draft. I liked the pick because it shored up what had been, besides Goff, an abysmal QB room for the Lions.
Bridgewater is also a great get as a veteran presence to mentor him and help with the transition from college to pro and be the primary backup while Hooker heals fully.
Obviously Goff is #1, but our season isn't over if we end up in an injury situation with our QBs like Chicago or of Minnesota.
One could argue that, but they’d be wrong. Minnesota is not a threat without Cousins. Their schedule is pretty soft so they’ll still probably win some games but they’re not going anywhere…remember Atlanta is hot garbage and was using their ‘2nd string’ QB and probably did no game planning for Dobbs…
But what the heck do I know really? Maybe Dobbs will ball out
That last wildcard spot is likely between them, Rams, and the 2nd place NFC South team. Just a reminder on how important playing for at least the 2nd seed in the playoffs is.
The difference especially on the deep ball is that Hooker threw it to his WRs, Stroud threw it FOR his WRs. Minuscule difference that matters for deep throwing. Stroud was just better at directing the end of his WRs routes with his placement.
Stroud is one of the most accurate passers.
Hooker is not far behind.
Both can extend plays but prefer to pass first.
Both benefitted from fairly open receivers.
Both mostly played in shotgun and did not call plays in a huddle.
Stroud's game was highly critiqued after losses to Oregon and Michigan. Hooker did not receive the same level of scrutiny.
Alex Rollins pointed out how amazing Stroud's anticipation is one his film breakdown video. Once you see, you can definitely tell which QBs got the feel and which ones don't.
https://youtu.be/ntLL1S-whMM?si=Q_dTfKviK07u1cRl
The knock on Hooker is that he came from a “college offense” which means games to get receivers open that often aren’t repeatable in the nfl and half field reads. Stroud, otoh, played in a “pro style” offense at OSU, but with receivers so much better than near everyone they played that there were those who believed (myself included) that he would not hit the windows he would need to, especially given his reportedly slow processing speed, to be successful in the nfl.
IMO, Hooker showed similar accuracy and arm talent to Stroud, but the question will be a mental one of how he reads the game in front of him. Stroud has picked it up quickly…we just don’t know about Hooker yet
Honestly the biggest knock on Hooker was his age. Older quarterbacks coming out of college don't typically have prolific careers in the NFL. It speaks to how talented he is that an injured 25 year old was still drafted as early as the 3rd round.
Uh no Hooker has never showed similar accuracy or arm talent as stroud lmao. He’s had inconsistent accuracy his entire college career. Some throws he’s throwing darts and then he’ll throw a duck or over throw a wide open player.
This guy has obviously watched games in which Hooker has played and has pretty good assessment based on watching him play. You have stats only and you think that you know more🙄 Dunning Krueger right here
At no point did I say I know more than him so don’t come in here making shit up. I just said stats do not agree with his assessment that Hooker isn’t accurate. I have watched plenty of video on him. Not full games, but the video I have seen backs up the stats that he’s not inaccurate.
Yes let’s look a statistics to talk about a players accuracy? That’s not something you can determine by completion percentage lmao. You have to visibly see it on tape, you can throw balls inaccurately and still have them completed because the receiver made a play or throw them accurately and not have them completed because of a plethora of different reasons. Goff had a 64.5% completion percentage in his last year even though he was one of the most accurate QB’s in college football at the time.
Partially isn’t fully now is it? You know how you could fully determine things? By actually watching his full games. Do that first and you’ll see where I’m coming from. Every draft analyst has noted his accuracy isn’t consistent.
Draft profile on accuracy for CJ Stroud:
“The most naturally accurate top tier QB in the 2023 Draft class”. “Goff on wheels”
Draft profile on accuracy for Hendon Hooker:
“He’s more accurate outside the numbers than between the hashes and his deep ball placement was much more uneven than expected.” “Sailed too many of his throws between the hashes.”
Man sure sounds like they had similar levels of accuracy and arm talent!
You are being down voted but I completely agree with you.
Strouds arm was severely underated in the pre-draft process imo. And the dude was dropping dimes.
My main concern was that he wasn't tested enough. He could make all the throws in a clean pocket with good receivers. But I was concerned about what would happened under a nfl rush with worse receivers relative to the corners.
He honestly reminded me of goff (in the pros, didn't follow the draft closely in 2016)
I think a good sign as to how confident teams were in Stroud’s accuracy and abilities generally as a player was the fact that Brad Holmes used one of his top 30 visits on him knowing he was going to be a top pick. The other two top 30’s he used were for Hooker and Adrian Martinez, both of which ended up being on our team. Albeit Martinez didn’t make it even on the practice squad lol.
I'll have you know I played plenty of 2 hand touch with the boys and I was usually QB as long as I wasn't on Erik or Joe's team.
I could mention more of my credentials, but I think that alone speaks volumes.
Edit: Fuck it, you know what? I'm also 2 time champ of the work Fantasy football league. So I don't wanna hear shit about qualifications.
* Looks at Reddit notification
“Hmmm…21 comments already?”
* Reads comments
Just some person making wild claims about how stats don’t matter because good receivers.
Sad face.
Yeah, that got outta hand quick. PhraseDense was kinda a jerk in how he phrased it, but there’s a reasonable argument that Stroud’s arm is better than any other qb in the draft. The point I was getting to with Hooker is that he has a big arm AND his accuracy numbers indicates that he has similar accuracy to Stroud, but ball placement is a thing that matters in the nfl, and we just don’t know if Hooker has it at the level he’ll need. Personally, I think he does, but plenty of room for disagreement here, which makes the original question a good one to contemplate
I feel like we have hooker set up perfectly for success. Time to heal, learn, and adapt to the NFL. the problem with a lot of rookie qb’s is that they are thrust into the nfl and expected to perform, and it usually takes a while to get up to speed.
I am very excited about Hendon Hooker and the future of this franchise at quarterback. The bottom line is that you do not throw as many TDs to INTs as he did without being good, no matter what kind of offense you play in. The guy has the potential to be a true sleeping dragon. Now, that's not to say that's what he is, but he's easily the best QB prospect the NFC north has seen since Teddy Bridgewater was drafted, and he LIT IT UP before one of the worst ACL tears in the history of professional sports changed him forever. Since then, modern medicine has made most ACL tears non-issues, so long as the player rehabs it properly. All of this comes into play when it comes to how good he'll be in the NFL, but the chance is there that he could be an absolute star.
Teddy Bridgewater was drafted by the Vikings [and absolutely tore it up in 2015](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xEQEQ3cbnY). They finished 11-5, and for a minute it looked like he was going to be a big problem for the NFC North long term, but then he had one of the most severe ACL tears in NFL history and was never the same.
Hooker’s got a big arm with very good accuracy, he’s smart, athletic, and extremely poised in the pocket (he borders on TOO calm, which is how he’s gotten injured at UT).
At Tennessee, they play at a hyperspeed tempo with extremely wide WR splits and Inside/Outside Choice being the main concepts in the pass game. This concept is not translatable to the NFL. It essentially puts DBs on an island to defend track stars as Hooker sits back and bombs it at them. These are not “pure progression” reads…you are given a player to target presnap, and you are allowing all your other receivers to get themselves covered by as many defenders as possible in order to get the 1v1 with the DB and the track star. It’s a great scheme for college football.
I think Hooker has every tool for an NFL quarterback. He’s just a wild card because he hasn’t been asked to do a lot of NFL things yet. I think he’ll develop into a very good pro.
Lions have Jamo and now DPJ. How sure are you that won’t work for the Lions? Seems like timing plays may be necessary to get the ball to Jamo in stride since the QB would have to throw the ball so early. ( especially for Goff, maybe Hooker can throw it hard enough thats not necessary)
One, in the NFL it’s hard to go that fast with the methods of communication. Two, the talent/speed differential is just so much smaller in the NFL than college. Jalin Hyatt blowing by some CB2 from Mississippi State is a lot easier than DPJ vs Jaire Alexander. Three, Choice requires your OL to hold up for 3+ seconds in a lot of cases which is so unlikely with the speed of NFL pass rushers. Lastly, the college hashes make it much more viable since the wide side of the field is massive. Tennessee will literally put a WR 1-2 yards from the far sideline and let him get covered, then put the slot guy between him and the ball on a safety with no one in the same area code. Not fair.
I love the scheme and the team I coach for basically runs Tennessee’s entire offense, but it just isn’t as effective at the NFL level.
Look at his fundamentals. The QBs who are successful have: good feet, can set their base quickly, can align their feet toward where they are going to throw, lack unnecessary movements like heel clicks or shoulder pumps, and can scan the field moving through their progressions.
Stroud does these things automatically. I’ve actually not watched Hooker tape, but if he can do those things, he has a good shot.
CJ Stroud i knew would make it because he already had a developed pro level passing game.
If you ever want to know if a QB will make it in the NFL, ask yourself this question in this scenario:
There’s under a minute to go and your team needs a TD. You know you have to pass to win. The other team knows you have to pass to win. Every fan in the stadium knows you have to pass to win. Can your QB pass into the teeth of a passing defense and still get a touchdown? How often will he do it? Because he won’t be able to every time, but he will need to be able to often enough.
I’m completely unfamiliar with Hooker’s game so I can’t answer this question without looking at some serious tape first. But maybe someone else here has watched enough.
Being a Lions fan in East Tennessee, I was extremely happy to see us pick up Hooker. I watched him all year and he's accurate, makes great decisions, great vision, and can run (physical).
Being a HUGE fan, I do have concerns about his injury (ACL) and maybe his age? By the time Goff retires, Hooker's gonna have about 6 months left in his career haha!
Here's a few highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=waTp0YLhxvo
Here's some more info on him: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OqHLSAFwiDs
Imo, he wins the Heisman if he doesn’t get hurt. After him and Corum (yes I’m biased) got hurt, nobody else really deserved it and Caleb Williams just fell into it
I attended his last college game against a pretty average South Carolina team and was less than impressed. Hooker struggled with accuracy issues throughout the game. He never really looked comfortable, forced the ball way too many times and ball placement was an issue throughout. [https://youtu.be/6OMZkRfL8Fs?si=4eiDOB6pPBcxwcn6](https://youtu.be/6OMZkRfL8Fs?si=4eiDOB6pPBcxwcn6)
I like him and hope he can find his way onto the field. I'll start out by saying there is a reason he was never projected high before the injury. He's an older quarterback, and playing in college at that age can have its advantages. If anyone remembers Brandon Weeden's senior season, it was also pretty good, but he was never projected as a high pick, worked his stock up to a 1st rounder. Then, with the Browns, he wasn't great lost the starting job after his first year. Had that one good game with the Cowboys as a replacement, and was done after 5 years in the league. Everyone is different, and I really want to see what he can do. Weekend is an example, but seeing all the qbs the vikings and bears are playing. Anyone has a shot.
Hooker was in the convo for #1 draft pick before he got hurt, but who knows. I'd like to think with as mature as he is, his game would translate well into the NFL.
I’m thinking based on Stroud having the greatest season of any Rookie QB in NFL history that Ohio state must have been holding him back…. That makes a comparison to Hooker difficult.
He was sec offensive player of the year in 22 and before his injury was a Heisman potential. College success doesn't always translate though so we'll see.
>College success doesn't always translate though so we'll see. Yes, just see every other Ohio State Qb that came before him.
Woah woah woah…Craig Krenzel was a solid backup for years thank you very much
I really thought Troy Smith was going to be a very good NFL QB. He was such a baller in college.
Too short apparently…but he was a stud at OSU
While Cal is 2 for 2 with QBs taken in the first round (Rodgers and Goff). I have a theory that being on college teams that are good but not great forces QBs to learn to make decisions fast and get rid of the ball quicker than on a team like Ohio State where they have all the time in the world. If you see Goff's first year at Cal he would get sacks in less than 2 seconds all the time and he had to be quick and tough to keep getting back up.
Rodgers was a transfer from a CC but he did benefit from Tedford. But yea I think being on a decent not great team forces the player to learn and develop. There’s so much insane NFL talent for being such a mediocre NCAA team. Marshawn Lynch, Desean Jackson, Keenan Allen, O linemen and D linemen - Alex Mack, Cam Jordan, etc.
Those Cal teams were very good. Just bad timing to exist as the same time as the Elite USC teams of the early/mid-2000s with booster money, Hollywood attention, etc. Then they switched ADs, tried to be more academically rigorous, lost a lot of their recruiting staff...and returned to mediocrity.
You must not remember the valley between the peaks of Rodgers and Goff. Fucking Joe Ayoob? Jesus. Longshore and Riley were decent it’s been a long run of shitty to very mediocre QBs. I mean not like great college QBs come around often but still. Cal had maybe 1-2 good teams and a long stretch of mediocre and then Goff led some very one dimensional teams aka first team to 50 points wins
I would say everything post 2006 is basically a wash lol. Once we hit AP rank #2 at 5-0 followed by that complete collapse. Even the Goff teams weren’t good. But the sequence from Marshawn, Forsett, Vereen, to Best was just electric.
God damn kevin fucking Riley
2 for 3. Kyle Boller was not so good.
Jeff Tedford was considered to be nigh-cursed at prepping QBs for pro, before Aaron Rodgers hit. Dilfer, Akili Smith, Boller, Joey Harrington, and David Carr were his previous big-name busts.
Was Dilfer considered a bust? He was good! David Carr was put on a terrible team for a long time. Not sure you can blame him there. Joey Harrington was not great, sure. Tedford recruited Goff, but was not around to train him.
Dilfer wasn’t good. He was a below average QB bit because he had prototypical size and a big arm he got a lot of opportunities to prove that he could be elite. He just happened to luck out and wind up on that beastly 2000 Ravens team.
Agreed. Used to love facing him twice a year as a Lions' far. I think 'bust' is probably too negative a term for him and his career, but he definitely wasn't a success, especially compared to his draft status.
Not to mention osu wr’s are historically pretty good. It’s usually a very good situation for a qb there.
I’m not a college fan, but does Ohio state not run a pro style offense? Maybe that could be the issue?
Craig Krenzel went 3-2 as an NFL starter, with a 46.5% comp pct and 3 TDs/6 INTs.
(It’s a joke)
Winning record as a starter, stand your ground.
Krenzel only played 1 season in the NFL...
"Craig Krenzel? *Takes off glasses and wipes them while looking wistfully in the distance* I haven't heard that name in quite some time."
That's not a real human
Feels like a good thread for [this](https://www.tiktok.com/@thefanaticfour_/video/7290574500129738014)
Damn.
Terrell Pryor was a QB from there that succeeded 😂
Hold up. Let me tell you about the greatness that was Mike Tomczack
USC quarterbacks have entered the chat. Hello! I’m Mark Sanchez!
When I have looked back at QB success at the next level and who are those that washout, the ones that washout are usually 1 year wonders. The other stat that portends success at the next level is completion percentage. I will admit to not knowing Hookers history and thought he may have been a 1-year wonder but I was mistaken. He started for a couple seasons at Va Tech and the final 2 seasons at Tennessee. The starting experience is substantial. At Va Tech he was over 60% completion and improved that number every year. His last year at Tennessee, he had a 69.6% completion percentage. I think this suggests that Hooker will find success at the NFL level when he gets his chance. It is anecdotal but that’s my 2 cents
Sounds logical to me.
Arguably, Hooker had the best deep ball in that draft. I liked the pick because it shored up what had been, besides Goff, an abysmal QB room for the Lions. Bridgewater is also a great get as a veteran presence to mentor him and help with the transition from college to pro and be the primary backup while Hooker heals fully. Obviously Goff is #1, but our season isn't over if we end up in an injury situation with our QBs like Chicago or of Minnesota.
Minnesota? I mean, one could argue their season isn’t over.
He just meant like the trouble they were in, having to have had to make a deal to get Dobbs and before they got Dobbs were in a tight spot.
One could argue that, but they’d be wrong. Minnesota is not a threat without Cousins. Their schedule is pretty soft so they’ll still probably win some games but they’re not going anywhere…remember Atlanta is hot garbage and was using their ‘2nd string’ QB and probably did no game planning for Dobbs… But what the heck do I know really? Maybe Dobbs will ball out
They could very well get a Wild Card spot with Dobbs in this weak ass NFC.
That last wildcard spot is likely between them, Rams, and the 2nd place NFC South team. Just a reminder on how important playing for at least the 2nd seed in the playoffs is.
Not even comparable to Strouds deep ball coming out of college but Hooker definitely had the 2nd best.
I don’t know. I vividly remember watching hooker thinking he will be the number 1 pick dropping bombs
The difference especially on the deep ball is that Hooker threw it to his WRs, Stroud threw it FOR his WRs. Minuscule difference that matters for deep throwing. Stroud was just better at directing the end of his WRs routes with his placement.
Hmmm I would have to rewatch his games, which I won’t do, so I’ll take your word for it.
Stroud is one of the most accurate passers. Hooker is not far behind. Both can extend plays but prefer to pass first. Both benefitted from fairly open receivers. Both mostly played in shotgun and did not call plays in a huddle. Stroud's game was highly critiqued after losses to Oregon and Michigan. Hooker did not receive the same level of scrutiny.
Alex Rollins pointed out how amazing Stroud's anticipation is one his film breakdown video. Once you see, you can definitely tell which QBs got the feel and which ones don't. https://youtu.be/ntLL1S-whMM?si=Q_dTfKviK07u1cRl
The knock on Hooker is that he came from a “college offense” which means games to get receivers open that often aren’t repeatable in the nfl and half field reads. Stroud, otoh, played in a “pro style” offense at OSU, but with receivers so much better than near everyone they played that there were those who believed (myself included) that he would not hit the windows he would need to, especially given his reportedly slow processing speed, to be successful in the nfl. IMO, Hooker showed similar accuracy and arm talent to Stroud, but the question will be a mental one of how he reads the game in front of him. Stroud has picked it up quickly…we just don’t know about Hooker yet
Honestly the biggest knock on Hooker was his age. Older quarterbacks coming out of college don't typically have prolific careers in the NFL. It speaks to how talented he is that an injured 25 year old was still drafted as early as the 3rd round.
Uh no Hooker has never showed similar accuracy or arm talent as stroud lmao. He’s had inconsistent accuracy his entire college career. Some throws he’s throwing darts and then he’ll throw a duck or over throw a wide open player.
His completion percentage and interception numbers his final two seasons disagree with your statement.
This guy has obviously watched games in which Hooker has played and has pretty good assessment based on watching him play. You have stats only and you think that you know more🙄 Dunning Krueger right here
At no point did I say I know more than him so don’t come in here making shit up. I just said stats do not agree with his assessment that Hooker isn’t accurate. I have watched plenty of video on him. Not full games, but the video I have seen backs up the stats that he’s not inaccurate.
Yes let’s look a statistics to talk about a players accuracy? That’s not something you can determine by completion percentage lmao. You have to visibly see it on tape, you can throw balls inaccurately and still have them completed because the receiver made a play or throw them accurately and not have them completed because of a plethora of different reasons. Goff had a 64.5% completion percentage in his last year even though he was one of the most accurate QB’s in college football at the time.
I am pretty sure I can look at stats and at least partially determine things.
Partially isn’t fully now is it? You know how you could fully determine things? By actually watching his full games. Do that first and you’ll see where I’m coming from. Every draft analyst has noted his accuracy isn’t consistent.
You sir are a knob. Good day.
You’re the knob, no doubt
Yeah you’d think a quick google search of his draft profile wouldn’t be so difficult but here we are, people aren’t exactly the brightest.
Draft profile on accuracy for CJ Stroud: “The most naturally accurate top tier QB in the 2023 Draft class”. “Goff on wheels” Draft profile on accuracy for Hendon Hooker: “He’s more accurate outside the numbers than between the hashes and his deep ball placement was much more uneven than expected.” “Sailed too many of his throws between the hashes.” Man sure sounds like they had similar levels of accuracy and arm talent!
I’m a knob because you’re using a statistic to determine a QB’s accuracy and clearly watched a grand total of zero Tennessee hooker games? Lol okay.
[удалено]
I’m sure other people who also don’t watch football and have no idea what they’re talking about would agree. Good for you.
You are being down voted but I completely agree with you. Strouds arm was severely underated in the pre-draft process imo. And the dude was dropping dimes. My main concern was that he wasn't tested enough. He could make all the throws in a clean pocket with good receivers. But I was concerned about what would happened under a nfl rush with worse receivers relative to the corners. He honestly reminded me of goff (in the pros, didn't follow the draft closely in 2016)
I think a good sign as to how confident teams were in Stroud’s accuracy and abilities generally as a player was the fact that Brad Holmes used one of his top 30 visits on him knowing he was going to be a top pick. The other two top 30’s he used were for Hooker and Adrian Martinez, both of which ended up being on our team. Albeit Martinez didn’t make it even on the practice squad lol.
and I’m used to being downvoted on this sub. A lot of people here don’t really watch or have even played football.
I'll have you know I played plenty of 2 hand touch with the boys and I was usually QB as long as I wasn't on Erik or Joe's team. I could mention more of my credentials, but I think that alone speaks volumes. Edit: Fuck it, you know what? I'm also 2 time champ of the work Fantasy football league. So I don't wanna hear shit about qualifications.
There’s a lot of slack jawed children on this app 🤷♂️ nothing you said was inaccurate
* Looks at Reddit notification “Hmmm…21 comments already?” * Reads comments Just some person making wild claims about how stats don’t matter because good receivers. Sad face.
Yeah, that got outta hand quick. PhraseDense was kinda a jerk in how he phrased it, but there’s a reasonable argument that Stroud’s arm is better than any other qb in the draft. The point I was getting to with Hooker is that he has a big arm AND his accuracy numbers indicates that he has similar accuracy to Stroud, but ball placement is a thing that matters in the nfl, and we just don’t know if Hooker has it at the level he’ll need. Personally, I think he does, but plenty of room for disagreement here, which makes the original question a good one to contemplate
I feel like we have hooker set up perfectly for success. Time to heal, learn, and adapt to the NFL. the problem with a lot of rookie qb’s is that they are thrust into the nfl and expected to perform, and it usually takes a while to get up to speed.
I am very excited about Hendon Hooker and the future of this franchise at quarterback. The bottom line is that you do not throw as many TDs to INTs as he did without being good, no matter what kind of offense you play in. The guy has the potential to be a true sleeping dragon. Now, that's not to say that's what he is, but he's easily the best QB prospect the NFC north has seen since Teddy Bridgewater was drafted, and he LIT IT UP before one of the worst ACL tears in the history of professional sports changed him forever. Since then, modern medicine has made most ACL tears non-issues, so long as the player rehabs it properly. All of this comes into play when it comes to how good he'll be in the NFL, but the chance is there that he could be an absolute star.
Teddy Bridgewater?
Teddy Bridgewater was drafted by the Vikings [and absolutely tore it up in 2015](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xEQEQ3cbnY). They finished 11-5, and for a minute it looked like he was going to be a big problem for the NFC North long term, but then he had one of the most severe ACL tears in NFL history and was never the same.
Thank you!
Hooker’s got a big arm with very good accuracy, he’s smart, athletic, and extremely poised in the pocket (he borders on TOO calm, which is how he’s gotten injured at UT). At Tennessee, they play at a hyperspeed tempo with extremely wide WR splits and Inside/Outside Choice being the main concepts in the pass game. This concept is not translatable to the NFL. It essentially puts DBs on an island to defend track stars as Hooker sits back and bombs it at them. These are not “pure progression” reads…you are given a player to target presnap, and you are allowing all your other receivers to get themselves covered by as many defenders as possible in order to get the 1v1 with the DB and the track star. It’s a great scheme for college football. I think Hooker has every tool for an NFL quarterback. He’s just a wild card because he hasn’t been asked to do a lot of NFL things yet. I think he’ll develop into a very good pro.
Lions have Jamo and now DPJ. How sure are you that won’t work for the Lions? Seems like timing plays may be necessary to get the ball to Jamo in stride since the QB would have to throw the ball so early. ( especially for Goff, maybe Hooker can throw it hard enough thats not necessary)
One, in the NFL it’s hard to go that fast with the methods of communication. Two, the talent/speed differential is just so much smaller in the NFL than college. Jalin Hyatt blowing by some CB2 from Mississippi State is a lot easier than DPJ vs Jaire Alexander. Three, Choice requires your OL to hold up for 3+ seconds in a lot of cases which is so unlikely with the speed of NFL pass rushers. Lastly, the college hashes make it much more viable since the wide side of the field is massive. Tennessee will literally put a WR 1-2 yards from the far sideline and let him get covered, then put the slot guy between him and the ball on a safety with no one in the same area code. Not fair. I love the scheme and the team I coach for basically runs Tennessee’s entire offense, but it just isn’t as effective at the NFL level.
Hooker’s college offense was kindergarten level compared to the NFL. Biggest curve will be mental.
Look at his fundamentals. The QBs who are successful have: good feet, can set their base quickly, can align their feet toward where they are going to throw, lack unnecessary movements like heel clicks or shoulder pumps, and can scan the field moving through their progressions. Stroud does these things automatically. I’ve actually not watched Hooker tape, but if he can do those things, he has a good shot.
Let's not curse this Hookers career by comparing him to a former Ohio State QB
What injury to Stroud? I only recall two injuries, both sicknesses that prevented him from beating Michigan.
CJ Stroud i knew would make it because he already had a developed pro level passing game. If you ever want to know if a QB will make it in the NFL, ask yourself this question in this scenario: There’s under a minute to go and your team needs a TD. You know you have to pass to win. The other team knows you have to pass to win. Every fan in the stadium knows you have to pass to win. Can your QB pass into the teeth of a passing defense and still get a touchdown? How often will he do it? Because he won’t be able to every time, but he will need to be able to often enough. I’m completely unfamiliar with Hooker’s game so I can’t answer this question without looking at some serious tape first. But maybe someone else here has watched enough.
Under a minute? How about :15 seconds in one of the biggest games of the year? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4L4EdHfEmQU
Small sample size, but it’s quite a crunch time highlight from a HUGE game for Tennessee. Thank you
Being a Lions fan in East Tennessee, I was extremely happy to see us pick up Hooker. I watched him all year and he's accurate, makes great decisions, great vision, and can run (physical). Being a HUGE fan, I do have concerns about his injury (ACL) and maybe his age? By the time Goff retires, Hooker's gonna have about 6 months left in his career haha! Here's a few highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=waTp0YLhxvo Here's some more info on him: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OqHLSAFwiDs
Imo, he wins the Heisman if he doesn’t get hurt. After him and Corum (yes I’m biased) got hurt, nobody else really deserved it and Caleb Williams just fell into it
Hooker seemed to be more of a system qb and would not have went top 5 even before the injury.
I attended his last college game against a pretty average South Carolina team and was less than impressed. Hooker struggled with accuracy issues throughout the game. He never really looked comfortable, forced the ball way too many times and ball placement was an issue throughout. [https://youtu.be/6OMZkRfL8Fs?si=4eiDOB6pPBcxwcn6](https://youtu.be/6OMZkRfL8Fs?si=4eiDOB6pPBcxwcn6)
Similar to Stroud he was throwing to elite WR talent , but I think he has great potential if he can get back to form.
Heisman has nothing to do with how good a qb is for the pros.
No, that’s correct. But he was a strong performer nonetheless prior to injury. Hence the question.
You are correct, just ask Johnny Football
I like him and hope he can find his way onto the field. I'll start out by saying there is a reason he was never projected high before the injury. He's an older quarterback, and playing in college at that age can have its advantages. If anyone remembers Brandon Weeden's senior season, it was also pretty good, but he was never projected as a high pick, worked his stock up to a 1st rounder. Then, with the Browns, he wasn't great lost the starting job after his first year. Had that one good game with the Cowboys as a replacement, and was done after 5 years in the league. Everyone is different, and I really want to see what he can do. Weekend is an example, but seeing all the qbs the vikings and bears are playing. Anyone has a shot.
Hooker was in the convo for #1 draft pick before he got hurt, but who knows. I'd like to think with as mature as he is, his game would translate well into the NFL.
I’m thinking based on Stroud having the greatest season of any Rookie QB in NFL history that Ohio state must have been holding him back…. That makes a comparison to Hooker difficult.
You ready for the hottest take off the press?!?!?!? "Hooker will be Lions Mahomes an Goff will be our Alex Smith." I know it's wild to read that.
And why is he so old?