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I’ll say it right off the top–I don’t expect Hooker to be available in the second round. I’m not sold he lasts until the Lions own first-round pick at No. 18, though falling into the bottom of the first certainly makes sense for Hooker and his unique status.
Yet Hooker is the only quarterback who credibly projects anywhere close to the Lions picks at 48 and 55 overall. Using at least one of those picks to acquire Hooker is well within reason, though it might not actually happen in the official second round.
He’s an admittedly difficult sell due to his injury status; Hooker will almost certainly miss the vast majority of his rookie season as he recovers from a torn ACL. At 25, he’s overaged too. But his skills are an undeniable fit for the Lions offense.
Hooker is accurate to all levels of the field, protects the ball exceptionally well (58 TDs, 5 INTs in the last two seasons) and smartly identifies his best option pre-snap very well. He’s a confident leader and quick to adapt his style to the opposing defense if stymied early. If that sounds like Jared Goff, it should — just add in Hooker’s impressive ability to run. And with Goff firmly ensconced through at least 2023, there’s no reason to rush Hooker back from his injury.