Hendon Hooker Ready To Convince NFL Age Is Just A Number

There are few areas of life where, at 25, you might be considered to have already reached your full potential. However, in the arduous process that precedes the NFL Draft, the discussion surrounding Hendon Hooker has been dominated by talk of whether he is already maxed out.

The Tennessee quarterback is viewed as a potential first-round pick, but arguably the biggest knock on him is his age.

Hooker is 16 months older than Will Levis, over three years older than both Bryce Young and C.J. Stroud, and over four years older than Anthony Richardson.

None of that quartet, expected to be the first four quarterbacks off the board, are viewed as the finished article and won’t in their prime years by the time it comes to negotiate their second contract.

Hooker, by contrast, will be approaching his 30s when discussions over his second contract begin. Yet he does not see his seniority over his contemporaries as a problem.

Experience and wisdom

To the contrary, Hooker believes his experience is a significant advantage and is adamant he is a long way from reaching his ceiling.

“Yes, [I] still have room to grow,” Hooker said, speaking as part of his partnership with Bush’s Beans. “And everyone does, either you get better or you get worse, you never stay the same. So I have to continue to work on my game and get better and better. Just stack days. And you know, that’s that’s something that I firmly believe in, if you work then it’s gonna pay off.”

Hooker’s work certainly paid off at the collegiate level. After transferring from Virginia Tech to Tennessee, he put together two stellar seasons in the SEC.

Throwing 58 touchdowns to just five interceptions, Hooker posted the best touchdown to interception ratio in the FBS over the course of his two seasons with the Volunteers, which saw him complete 68.8 percent of his passes for 6,080 yards.

Hooker started 15 games at Virginia Tech and 22 with Tennessee and, after Brock Purdy’s success as a rookie with the San Francisco 49ers after his four seasons at Iowa State, there is a compelling case to be made that the wealth of time Hooker spent in the college ranks will quickly be to his benefit in the NFL.

“Being 25 I mean, I’ve, I’ve seen a lot of football, a lot of situations, you know, and how they pan out,” added Hooker. “And that’s part of part of my game, just understanding the game, you know, how to play football. And then being in full control is being an extension of a coach on the field. So just being able to relate and communicate at a high level. It’s really important in the position that I play and I feel like I do those things at a very high level.”

The NIL question

Hooker is not the only Tennessee player who will enter the NFL at a slightly advanced age compared to many other prospects. Edge rusher Byron Young is also 25, and the reality is the league may have to reconcile itself with having to pick from a slightly older crop of players following the changes to laws and regulations that mean college athletes can now make money by selling their name, image and likeness (NIL) rights.

Per Kalyn Kahler of The Athletic, 20 senior quarterbacks decided to return to school or enter the transfer portal rather than declare for the draft this year, and Hooker suggested that may well become a trend

“I think it’s all about timing. And what they feel like is the best decision for themselves,” he explained. “I know that’s something that we all think about, you know, whenever you’re in a situation somewhere, do I want to be in this situation again this next year coming up? Am I able to take that next step?

“And now that guys are being able to receive benefits from their play in name image and likeness, it’s tough. I think I think a lot of guys might come back because of just the benefits that they were getting.”

Rediscovering a rhythm

Hooker’s college experience came to a difficult end as he suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in a defeat to South Carolina, Tennesse’s second and final loss in a sparkling 11-2 season that came to a close with an Orange Bowl win over Clemson.

Though he was not able to take part in any of the on-field tests ahead of the draft, Hooker has been making good progress in his recovery and is working with renowned quarterback trainer Jordan Palmer, as well as his quarterback coaches at Tennessee, in getting back into the kind of groove that catapulted him into the discussion as one of the draft’s top signal-callers.

“Really just the biggest thing I’ve been working on [is] just getting back into a rhythm and feeling the ball exploding off my back heel, it’s been spinning really well,” said Hooker.

“I’ve been pleased with the results. I haven’t even got back to 100 percent yet and I’m still throwing it pretty well. So [I’m] continuing to perfect my craft anytime that I get a chance. This is what I try to do. Whenever I can go get it in on the field for an hour or two and then hit the rehab, that’s a great day.”

Hooker’s success at Tennessee was no accident. He is a quarterback who demonstrates great poise, impressive footwork and movement in the pocket and can hit deep balls outside the numbers. On top of all that, his running ability has been underrated during the pre-draft process.

But the aspect of game that has received the most severe scrutiny is something he had no control over — the offense in which he operated.

Learning curve concerns

Josh Heupel’s pace-and-space vertical spread offense has been wildly successful in Tennessee, with the Volunteers leading the FBS in yards (525.5) and points (46.1) per game in 2022. Yet it has received widespread criticism as an attack that does little to prepare players for what they will do on Sundays in the pros.

Hooker does not buy such critiques.

“I mean, it’s playing football,” explains Hooker. “We’re making throws, are we making the checks at the line? Are we being able to read defenses and make accurate throws on time? That’s you know, just just like running any other offense, it just has its own perks, I guess you could say, a lot more freedom to be a ball player. But the the learning curve isn’t anything too crazy.”

The calm with which he talks about the transition from that offense to the NFL is also likely to be the prevailing emotion on draft night, when Hooker’s father will be cooking baked beans from his own family recipe as they prepare to celebrate his son’s ascension to the highest level of the sport. Hooker plans to eventually pit his own recipe against his dad’s in a ‘bean-off’.

His composure is consistently evident on the field, his clarity of thought facilitating smart decision-making that Hooker sees as a quality that will, alongside his leadership, help him develop into a must-watch player at the highest level.

“I think my leadership,” Hooker said when asked which of his traits will best translate to the pros.

“Honestly just being able to relate to people. You got to be able to communicate at a high level with everyone on the on the team. And having team camaraderie goes a long way so, I think it starts there.

“I bring great leadership to any organisation and then being accurate. We’re gonna continue to put the ball where my guys can get it and then taking care of the ball. The ball is the team so you got to take care of the team, we’ve got to take care of the ball. I think those those components right there are gonna continue to prevail.

“You’re [the team that drafts him] gonna get a competitor and a leader. Someone that’s hungry and wants to be a sponge and they get in there and wherever I go, I want to come in and soak up as much information as I can from anyone and everyone and just learn how to be a pro, especially in that first year.

“Then just coming in and doing what I’m supposed to do, that’s just gonna help my knowledge of the playbook to continue to go up and my comfortability is gonna go up and then, you know, maybe my leg catches catches up with it. When it does it’s gonna be a great sight to see.”

It is still up in the air whether Hooker will go in the first round, but there is little doubt a team will spend a top-50 pick to land him despite his age. Some may see such a move as a gamble but, if Hooker delivers on his promise, franchises could start to see investing in older prospects as an increasingly safe bet.