Vikings select polarizing QB prospect in recent 2023 mock draft

A recent 2023 mock draft has the Minnesota Vikings selecting former Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft.

When it comes to quarterbacks the Minnesota Vikings could select in the upcoming 2023 NFL Draft, former Tennessee signal-caller Hendon Hooker isn’t someone who has really been mentioned as a possibility.

Well, that might change moving forward, thanks to a recent 2023 mock draft from NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah, who has the Vikings using the No. 23 pick in this year’s draft on Hooker.

Jeremiah says “the Vikings have been doing their homework on this quarterback class,” and that Hooker “could sit for a year behind Kirk Cousins before taking over and ushering in a new era for Kevin O’Connell.”

Could former Tennessee QB Hendon Hooker end up with the Minnesota Vikings in 2023?

At first glance, Hooker completing 69.6 percent of his passes for 3,135 yards, 27 touchdowns, and just two interceptions for Tennessee in 2022 make him an intriguing draft prospect.

However, Hooker just turned 25-years-old in January, and his 2022 season with Tennessee came to a disappointing end when he suffered a torn ACL last November.

So if Minnesota were to follow the plan that Jeremiah laid out of having Hooker sit for a season behind Kirk Cousins before taking over as the team’s starting quarterback in 2024, his career in the NFL as a starting passer would begin for him at the age of 26.

While his age and his recent knee injury might not be ideal for some teams, he could end up being a good fit for the Vikings’ current situation.

With Cousins still on the roster, Minnesota wouldn’t need Hooker to come in right away and start, so he can take the time to let his knee fully recover. Sitting for a season would also give him extra time to learn O’Connell’s offense, which is something that most rookie quarterbacks typically don’t have the luxury of in the NFL anymore.

If O’Connell and Kwesi Adofo-Mensah believe that selecting Hooker in the first round is something that could help the team achieve their goals for the future, then they should go get their guy. It would be viewed as a risk, but as we’ve seen from the last few NFL Drafts, every quarterback prospect comes with a certain level of risk that can, at times, be extremely unpredictable.