Well this is something: NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports Tuesday the New Orleans Saints will fly Tennessee Volunteers quarterback Hendon Hooker in for an official visit, making him one of 30 prospects in the 2023 NFL draft that the Saints will be allowed to host for private meetings at the team’s Metairie facility.
You’d think the Saints wouldn’t be interested in drafting another senior quarterback after signing Derek Carr to a massive free agency contract, but they drafted that contract with an exit ramp just two years into the four-year deal. Should Carr fail to live up to expectations, it could be worth having an experienced backup quarterback ready to play in the near future.
Hooker is one of the most prolific passers in this drafting class, although it will take him some time to adjust to NFL standards after executing a timing and distance-based offense that took advantage of some college game quirks . He’s also a capable threat to play with his legs on the ground.
But there are some warts on his scouting report. For one, Hooker has an ACL injury at the end of the season, although he said he expects to attend training camp wherever he’s drafted. For another, he’s one of the older contestants in this year’s rookie class, and unless he plays by 2025, he won’t see any significant snaps until he’s 28 years old.
Nobody cares if he plays at a high level for a decade once he’s in the lineup, but it would be really hard to justify passing on players who could help the Saints in the first two or three rounds now. We’ll see where he lands on draft day.
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Story originally appeared on Saints Wire
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