Is a surprise in the first round coming from the Minnesota Vikings? You never know what general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah might be ready to cook up on Thursday, April 27. One name in particular to keep an eye on will be Hendon Hooker.
What’s that, a quarterback first for the Vikes? In a recent piece from insider Daniel Jeremiah, he actualy has mocked Hooker to Minnesota at No. 23 overall. This would surely be a bit of a stunner, especially since plenty of experts think the Vikings will prioritize a wideout instead. However, the Jeremiah prediction surely has a lot of people talking.
The Vikings could surprise plenty of people by drafting Hendon Hooker in the first round
When looking at the pros for Hendon Hooker, you’ve of course got to bring up his cannon for a right arm. Before going down with his torn ACL, Hooker was throwing the ball all over the field for the Tennessee Volunteers. In 2022, he posted 3,135 yards and 27 touchdowns.
Also, Hooker is known for taking care of the football. He finished the 2022 campaign with only two interceptions, which is quite head-turning when you consider he appeared in 11 games. There’s a reason Hooker was in the Heisman conversation last fall.
However, the biggest ‘con’ for him is the fact that he’s coming off a torn ACL. Had Hooker not suffered his season-ending injury, then he would have been in the same group as C.J. Stroud, Anthony Richardson, Bryce Young and Will Levis.
At the end of the day, though, Hooker suffered the serious knee injury and there’s definitely concern across the NFL about it. He’s expected to make a full recovery and Ian Rapoport reported earlier this year that the 6-4, 218-pounder is on track to get back on the field in September.
With no long-term deal in place for Kirk Cousins, Minnesota could end up drafting Hooker and let him sit behind Cousins before he’s ready to take over the offense. Or, the Vikings could try and get something finalized with Cousins and use their first-round pick to provide him with another weapon for the offense. Minnesota has a tough decision to make, but this is why Adofo-Mensah is in the main seat and we are not.
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