Upon taking in the third round (No. 68 overall) in the 2023 draft, the Detroit Lions knew Hendon Hooker was headed for a "redshirt year" as he worked his way back from a torn ACL in his final college season.
For the sheer benefit of being able to keep practicing with the team, Hooker was added to the Lions' active roster late in the season. He was designated the emergency No. 3 quarterback each week from there, all the way through the playoffs.
Teddy Bridgewater is retiring to take the head coaching job at his high school alma mater, so Hooker is in line to be the Lions' No. 2 quarterback next season. He will spend part of his offseason working with Bridgewater, so as to best prepare himself to do so.
Hooker's first NFL game reps won't come until the first preseason game in August. Given his already advanced age for such an inexperienced NFL quarterback (26), and Jared Goff in line for a contract extension his offseason, Hooker's long-term future in Detroit is pretty unclear.
Dan Campbell acknowledges the obvious about Hendon Hooker
Lions head coach Dan Campbell didn't say anything overly memorable during his podium session at the NFL Combine on Tuesday morning. But he did talk about some interesting things, including Hooker.
"Man, I would say it's hard because he was coming off the injury. He didn’t get to play but he got a ton of, by the end of the year, call it three months, somewhere in there of practice time and did a lot of the scout team," Campbell said. "Learned from Teddy Bridgewater, Jared Goff, and 7-on-7, a few team reps, good on good."
"The best I can tell you is there’s growth, we saw growth, and that’s encouraging. That’s all we can ask at this point," Campbell said. "I don’t think we entirely know what he is yet, there’s not enough evidence. But I know this, we saw progress and that’s what we’re looking for.”
"I don't think we entirely know what he is yet...".
Hooker had his first NFL practice on Nov. 29. Two months of practice, as the third quarterback, is not a lot to go on for any kind of evaluation. That's just reality. Not good or bad, it's just what it is.