Right now Hendon Hooker is eligible to come off the NFI list. The Lions are considering whether to sit him or activate him to the roster. It has been reported he will be activated sometime this season. Why do the Lions need to activate him when they have Teddy B?

The first report about Hendon was about leadership. Our own POD reported...

"It’s electric to be around," rookie guard Colby Sorsdal said. "He’s a great dude and we were kind of talking during the stretch and whatnot, just about getting used to being an NFL player. We talked about this being a dream come true, and it is. We’re blessed to be out here and it’s just cool to be around him. His energy is contagious."

Lions general manager Brad Holmes was watching him in college, too. In fact, he witnessed Hooker firsthand in Tennessee, when the quarterback helped lead the Volunteers to a 38-33 victory over the Florida Gators. One of the first things that stuck out to Holmes about Hooker? You guessed it: leadership."There were little things that kind of stood out to me in terms of, you know, he’d score a touchdown, and instead of him being on the bench with the headset on, or talking to the coach in the box, he’s standing on the sideline waiting to congratulate his extra-point team," Holmes said on draft night. "So, it’s little things like that, that show what kind of person he (is)."

Leadership is big on the Lions, there are guys who set a tone of hard work and toughness. St Brown is one, LaPorta and Brian Branch are 2 rookies who get it. Hendon is a leader who has grit, toughness and the desire to win just like Branch and LaPorta.

And Hooker wasted no time getting into the playbook. In fact, he didn’t even wait until the end of draft night. When Lions tight end James Mitchell—his teammate at Virginia Tech for two years—reached out to congratulate him the night he was drafted, Hooker immediately asked for Mitchell to send some of Detroit’s commonly-used formations.

"He just gave me the formations. That’s where it starts," Hooker said. "You’ve got to know where everyone aligns. Then the plays, the protections, and the concepts come after that. That’s just the basics. If you get those basics right, then everything else can kind of follow suit."

Hooker is a student of the game who couldn't wait to get into the playbook. Quarterback is a mental game and the ability to absorb information is an edge that could mean the difference between great and mediocre. The quote below is from All Lions...

It hasn't stopped the Tennessee product from learning the playbook, though. And, according to Detroit quarterbacks coach Mark Brunell, Hooker has been making the most of his mental reps, and excelling inside the classroom up to this point.

"I've been trying to stump Hendon," Brunell told reporters Monday. "Every day, I ask him a few questions, and he's always making me mad, because he's always getting the answer right. But, one of these days, I'm going to get him. He's doing very well, he's putting the time in, and of course, he has his rehab. He's working with the trainers and everybody. In our room, he's been incredible. Really pleased with his progress, as far as (learning) our offense. He's been sharp."

Sounds like Hooker has been doing his homework along with rehab. All Lions did a short interview below...

Q: Offensive coordinator Ben Johnson said he was getting frustrated, because he couldn't stump you with questions in position meetings. What do those quizzes and questions entail?

A:"Man, it could be all of the above. It could be something that the defense is giving us. This week, the Chiefs are giving us down in the red zone or some of the tendencies that they like to do in the open field. Or it could just be, 'Hey, what front is this? Or what do we call this here?' Or it could be some checks and audibles in the gameplan. So, any and everything, he’s quizzing me, and always trying to challenge me mentally."

Q: What are your initial impressions of Ben Johnson's offensive scheme?

A: "Love it. It’s a perfect-play offense. Make sure that Ben gives us everything that we need, from the quarterback position, to take total control. That’s what he wants us to do, take total control and be the general of the offense. These are some very expensive keys to this car, talking about the offense. I love it. I love the enthusiasm that Ben shows. He cares, and you want to be around people that care about the same things as you care about, just naturally. But, when it’s about what we’re doing and task at hand, every little detail matters."

Q: How excited are you to make the trip to Kansas City?

A: "I’m soaking it all up and putting it in my mental rolodex, so that when it’s time for me to go out there and perform, I’m not shocked and not new to anything. Really just want to be a good teammate and cheer my guys on, too, in person. It’s different when you’re away and just sending text messages. But, being right there physically on the sideline is amazing."

The last guy that was this impressive on working out and getting better was St Brown. These two are driven, hard workers, leaders, tone setters and they back it up on the field. Add that to the fact that he has a talented arm and there's reports that you can hear the ball cut throw the air that only few can do and he's accurate and takes care of the ball. I hope the Lions activate him so he can work out with the team and maybe get a shot at the backup job. Then maybe he gets to play in blowouts. This 3rd round pick isn't shooting for the backup job but the starting job. I believe he could be the hidden gem of an already great draft.