Should the Patriots draft QB Hendon Hooker if he’s available to them?

The New England Patriots will have the opportunity to draft a top prospect at any position with the 14th overall pick in the NFL Draft on Thursday. Of course, it all depends on how the board looks after the first 13 picks, but if Hendon Hooker is available, don’t be surprised to see the Pats draft him with their first overall pick of the night.

Firstly, I don’t expect Hooker to drop as low as 14 or even into the second round, and I don’t see New England trading up to take him. It is, however, an intriguing thought all Patriots fans will start to have if he drops low enough for it to be an option for the Patriots to make.

He was projected to be a Day 2 selection due to a season-ending knee injury that turned into a torn ACL in his left knee. However, there’s been reason to believe Hooker’s stock is rising to be a first-round draft target for some teams despite missing most of last season.

Hooker is 6’3”, 217 lbs., and has many qualities the Patriots enjoy at quarterback. He has plenty of experience at six collegiate seasons with five playing years under his belt between Virginia Tech and Tennessee with nearly 1,000 pass attempts for 632 completions and a 66.9 completion percentage, showing he’s efficient under center.

The former SEC Player of the Year finished his college career with 8,974 yards for 80 touchdown passes and only 12 interceptions. Hooker also added 2,079 rushing yards and 25 touchdowns on the ground. He’s totaled over 400 rushing yards over the last three seasons.

Hooker is considered an older rookie at 25 years old, but it’s worth mentioning that Mac Jones will turn 25 at the beginning of the season, so age shouldn’t be a concern for a player with his experience. In addition, he comes with elite arm strength and accuracy within the pocket.

What stood out to me when watching film on Hooker is that he is primarily a pocket passer. Taking it one step further, I’d say Hooker is one of the few pocket passers left in today’s game coming out of college. He does not look to run or go off-script; he wants the play to develop and trusts that it will, which can be both good and bad.

Something worth noting is that he’s very stationary with his footwork in the pocket, which doesn’t allow for a quarterback to get the full amount of torque into completing a great pass and relying too much on his arm strength rather than his mechanics.

He needs to be paired with an offensive coach or veteran who can show him how to maneuver himself in the pocket to still make a clean and a full-range of motion throw surrounded by the chaos of the defense closing in.

The way the Draft is currently lined up, the Houston Texans have two picks in the top 12 and maybe eight teams that could realistically consider drafting a quarterback before the Patriots are on the clock at 14th overall in the first round, as there’s much hype in the quarterback class this year.

If Hooker is available in the second round, there is more room for the Pats to consider drafting him. There are just bigger holes that can be addressed in this draft before the quarterback position for New England.

As I mentioned earlier, it will be interesting when the Patriots are nearing their first pick if Hooker is still on the board.