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Surprise pick at number one in this 2023 NFL mock draft

By Ronnie Eastham

2023 NFL Mock Draft: Bryce Young #9 of the Alabama Crimson Tide during the game against the Mississippi Rebels at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on November 12, 2022 in Oxford, Mississippi. (Photo by Justin Ford/Getty Images)
2023 NFL Mock Draft: Bryce Young #9 of the Alabama Crimson Tide during the game against the Mississippi Rebels at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on November 12, 2022 in Oxford, Mississippi. (Photo by Justin Ford/Getty Images) /
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NFL Draft – (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images) /

16. player. 839. Scouting Report. Quarterback. Hendon Hooker. . Pick Analysis

16. Washington Commanders: Hendon Hooker, QB, Tennessee

Hendon Hooker in my mind is a better prospect than Kenny Pickett was, and he was selected 20th overall in last year’s NFL Draft.  This one may come as a surprise pick to some, but Hooker was a Heisman hopeful until the injury derailed his season.

Hooker has two things going against him right now, one being of course the ACL tear that occurred in November last year, the other being his age.  He’s already 25 years old and some teams may steer away from him as a result.

The Commanders need a quarterback though and Hooker offers a ton of upside for a team that is willing to be patient with his rehab.

Hooker began his career at Virginia Tech and later transferred to Tennessee in 2021, which is where he took off as a collegiate quarterback.  In two seasons with the Vols, he totaled 58 touchdowns through the air and passed for 6,083 yards, adding another 1,345 with his legs.

What might be more impressive though, is he threw only five interceptions combined over his final two seasons.  At one point in the 2021 season, he recorded 140 passes in 2021 without a pick and upped that in 2022, tossing 261 passes at one point without an interception.

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