Tennessee Volunteers star quarterback Hendon Hooker was selected by the Detroit Lions on Friday in the third round of the 2023 NFL draft.
Hooker was one of the more polarizing quarterback prospects in this year’s draft, after putting up a monster season in 2022.
Before going down with an ACL injury, Hooker threw for 27 touchdowns against just two interceptions.
He completed nearly 70% of his passes for over 3,100 yards through the air. But he also contributed with his legs, adding 430 yards on the ground and five touchdowns, with a long of 44 yards.
Author: Michael
Photo by Eakin Howard/Getty Images
How offensive coordinator Ben Johnson can bridge the gap between Hooker’s offense in Tennessee, and his NFL system in Detroit
It is a tale as old as time.
As March gives way to April, the NFL media landscape looks for one more quarterback to jam into the first round of the upcoming draft. Chances are, dear reader, you are old enough to remember some recent examples. Such as Christian Hackenberg. Davis Mills. Davis Webb. Mason Rudolph.
And this year, Hendon Hooker.
Pitcher Jacob deGrom may have changed teams in the offseason, but his injury woes are continuing to plague him in 2023.
DeGrom exited his start for the Rangers on Friday night after just 3 2/3 innings, the first three of which were perfect. Texas led the Yankees 5-0 at the time of his departure.
With two on and two out in the top of the fourth inning at Globe Life Field, a Rangers trainer came out to check on deGrom, at which point a lengthy discussion led to his removal after getting only 11 outs.
DeGrom, 34, is 2-0 with a 3.04 ERA and 43 strikeouts this season.
The Lions traded up in the third round to select Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker with pick No. 68, ending the signal-caller’s slide. The 25 year-old became the fifth quarterback taken in the NFL draft, and the second on Day 2 behind Will Levis.
A transfer from Virginia Tech, Hooker broke out for the Volunteers over the past two seasons, accumulating at least 2,900 passing yards and 27 passing touchdowns each year, while rushing for 1,000 yards combined since 2021. Hooker suffered a torn ACL vs. South Carolina in November, which ended his season.
Yahoo Sports draft expert Charles McDonald grades each second- and third-round pick from Day 2 of the NFL Draft.
Day 2 of the NFL draft is in the books. Some teams excelled in the second and third rounds while others could’ve done a bit better.
After a horrendous draft night a year ago that saw the Titans lose A.J. Brown in a failed attempt to save money and replace one of the best receivers in the NFL with a rookie, Tennessee entered 2023 in need of a performative masterpiece with a new general manager behind the desk.
And while Ran Carthon didn’t exactly bull us over out of the gate, on Friday night he may have made the best single pick in this year’s draft—the kind of selection that could finally pull the Titans out of an organizational holding pattern they’ve been in for the better part of the last four years.
The wait is over for Keion White.
The standout Georgia Tech edge rusher was selected in the second round (No. 46 overall) by the Patriots on Friday night. White was one of 17 players invited to Kansas City by the NFL for Thursday’s first round, but he wound up being among four prospects left waiting in the green room at the end of the evening.
So perhaps that explains why White was easily able to contain his enthusiasm when his name finally was called on behalf of New England.
To say White was utterly expressionless would be an understatement.
The question of whom the best player in NBA history is always a delicious debate, with strong opinions and fervent emotions often part of the conversation.
Most observers will either choose Michael Jordan or LeBron James, but for Draymond Green, the answer is pretty clear, and it’s not either of those two.
The Warriors forward believes his teammate, Stephen Curry, has the edge as the best player ever, and it’s largely due to his level of confidence.
“It’s way different,” Green said, via ESPN’s Nick Friedell.
Will Levis was drafted by the Titans with the No. 33 pick in the second round of the 2023 NFL draft. The former Kentucky quarterback had a lot of buzz entering draft week and was projected by the sportsbooks as the favorite to be the second overall pick. Instead, he became this year’s first-round draft snub. Tennesse traded the 41st pick, 72nd pick, and a third-round pick in 2024 in exchange for the second pick in the second round and the 81st overall selectin in this year’s draft.