Rookie Lions QB Hendon Hooker already making strong impression as a leader

If you thought Hendon Hooker was just going to be an observer of Saturday’s rookie minicamp practice due to the torn ACL he suffered back in November, you don’t know Hendon Hooker.

Hooker, the Detroit Lions third-round selection in the 2023 NFL Draft, was as active as he could physically be on a pleasant Saturday morning. He wasn’t allowed to do full dropbacks, so he did them to the side and at half speed. He isn’t allowed to throw during drills, so he got in some passes after practice was over.

“We’re just taking a different route, just relax(ing),” Hooker said after Day 2 of Lions rookie minicamp. “So of the routes on air, it’s kind of tough, because I want to do things that I can’t really do right now. In terms of just speeding my feet up, putting a lot of pressure on that left leg, and trying to change directions that I can’t do right now.”

But beyond that, it was easy to see Hooker’s command as a leader on the team. Instead of being a passive observer, Hooker was right in the middle of the action between plays and drills, giving handshakes and high-fives to all of his new teammates.

“He’s just walking around, dapping everybody up,” Lions rookie receiver Antoine Green said after practice. “I think he’s a great leader. Just watching him, too. I watched him over the course of last season and I feel like he’s a phenomenal player. I think he’ll do great here.”

“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).”

It also probably helped that Hooker went 22-of-28 for 349 yards and two touchdowns, while adding another 112 yards and another score through the run game.

“I just enjoy being around my guys,” Hooker said. “We’re coming in here working hard every day, so why not have fun while doing it? Building those relationships, day-to-day, and creating moments and memories. That’s what it’s about.”

Hooker potentially faces a deep developmental curve after coming from a quarterback-friendly system at Tennessee. In college, he would often have to read just one half of the field, although Hooker pushed back on that criticism Saturday.

“There were a lot of times where I did read the full field,” Hooker said. “It’s football, man. Hit the open guy, get to your reads, put your guys into positions to make plays. That’s what it’s all about.”

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.”

It’s unclear when Hooker will actually see the field, as it appears the Lions may treat his rookie season as a “redshirt” year. It doesn’t seem like he’ll even contend for Jared Goff’s role as a starting quarterback for at least a couple years. But he’s clearly got a knack for energizing his teammates, earning the respect of his peers, and putting in the work to improve.