Hendon Hooker finds NFL home with Lions

The Tennessee quarterback was drafted No. 5 in the third round of the draft by Detroit

The Detroit Lions bet on the draft for the quarterback of Tennessee, Hendon Hookeralthough the passer had to wait until the third round.

Detroit used third-round pick No. 5 — obtained via trade — on the quarterback who led to the upset win last season Volunteers over Alabama, 52-49, with a performance that included five touchdown passes.

Hendon Hooker6-foot-4, 218 pounds, spent three years at Virginia Tech before transferring to Tennesseewhere he came as a substitute.

In his college career, he completed 632 of 944 passes for 8,974 yards with 80 touchdowns and 12 interceptions, plus he had 517 carries for 2,079 yards and 25 scores. His record in college was 22-14.

Last season Hendon Hooker led to the Volunteers to an appearance in the Orange Bowl, where they beat Clemson 31-14. He was also voted SEC Offensive Player of the Year and was named to the All-SEC First Team.

However, he is coming off a difficult season, after suffering a torn ACL midseason, when he was considered among the favorites to win the Heisman Trophy.

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Hendon Hooker is the first quarterback of Tennessee drafted from Joshua Dobbs with the Pittsburgh Steelers in the fourth round of 2017. The last quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers Volunteers drafted in the first round was Peyton Manning with the Indianapolis Colts in 1998.

On the Lions roster, Hooker will have the opportunity to learn behind veteran starter Jared Gofff, who enjoyed a breakout 2023 season at the helm of Detroit’s defense.