Saints Meeting “Extensively” With Hendon Hooker (3 Viewers)

[No2DC]

 

[0rion]

 

[Saint Taysom]

If they like Hooker enough to draft him… draft him at 29.

Get the 5th year option and lock him up… if not, then do they really think he’s anything more than a scratch-off ticket?

 

[nakadish]

It's not just a matter of if they miss out on Carr then just get Hooker because he's the next best option. It's a multiyear rebuild. A more important question to ask is, "is he better than anyone they can get next year with a higher draft pick and more draft capital to move up?" I'm going to say, "probably not".

 

[LUX]

Bobby Scott begs to differ!

I thought you'd say P. Manning...

 

[BoNcHiE]

Really not a fan of drafting a guy before the third rd that want even play in 2023

So we should never draft a rookie QB? Not trying to be snarky, but that would be the implication given they usually don’t fully start year one.

He’s going to be ready for training camp, but you are right that he’d still likely not start right away. That’s part of developing a future (hopefully) franchise QB.

 

[onthurdays]

The guy escaped the pocket 150 times at Tennessee. And completed SEVEN PASSES.

He is Chris Weinke and Brandon Weeden, if he is fortunate.

 

[BBarnes]

I agree totally. The question I do have in general is whether we use that 29th or even the 40th on Hooker (assuming the scouts see him as a potential starter down the road) if we have already signed Carr to a sizeable contract! I am at this point leaning to not being afraid to use that premium pick to further deepen the QB room on the team where Hooker would not be pressured to starting early in his career.

No. If we sign Carr we absolutely won’t take a QB this year unless it’s really late or an UDFA

 

[BBarnes]

The guy escaped the pocket 150 times at Tennessee. And completed SEVEN PASSES.

He is Chris Weinke and Brandon Weeden, if he is fortunate.

Right? In my opinion, people are going to be highly disappointed in him unless he somehow lands in what would be the perfect spot for him, which right now would maybe be a team like Baltimore. Idk. I feel he is overrated on this board, but heck, maybe I’m just wrong and he’s going to be a star. While I seriously doubt it, if he’s in B&G I’ll sure be pulling hard for him.

 

[MikeyF]

My concern about Hooker is how badly Georgia shut him down...

The guy escaped the pocket 150 times at Tennessee. And completed SEVEN PASSES.

He is Chris Weinke and Brandon Weeden, if he is fortunate.

He didn't look like an NFL starting QB against the Georgia Bulldogs this year and Georgia's D is the more like an NFL D that most other college programs.
He kept backing up in the pocket...instead of stepping up or sliding right or left! Most of his stats came late in the game when it had long been decided who won.

His age and the offense that was run at UT doesn't help his NFL aspirations.

Hooker often only had to make a single read or target wide receivers who were schemed open for him.

Again this doesn't bode well for a successful NFL starter...

 

[State Of Affairs]

The guy escaped the pocket 150 times at Tennessee. And completed SEVEN PASSES.

He is Chris Weinke and Brandon Weeden, if he is fortunate.

Wait… that’s a pretty evasive stat… how many 1st downs/TDs did he convert on those plays? If he ran from 143 1st/TDs, that stat seems a lil different then how you’re presenting it.

I’m not sure what to think about Hooker, I loved him in College but we’ll see but this stat is pretty meaningless without the rest of the data.

 

[Kegger]

Again this doesn't bode well for a successful NFL starter...

Uh, the whole point of designing a pass play is to get a receiver open...

 

[guillermo]

My thing is…if a QB is worth a 3rd round pick, he’s worth the 29th pick.

QB is the one spot where there’s no middle ground. Not with salary. Not with value.

I don’t know if Hooker is or isn’t. Or Tanner McKee or anyone else in that second tier after the top 4 in this draft.

But I’m definitely not gonna complain if we take a QB at 29 if we view him as a potential starter.

You don't draft a quarterback for the place he may be ranked at a general draft board. You will draft him because you think that if you work with him, you will get good results and a possible starter.

I don't think anyone would complain if we would have taken Jalen Hurts with a first round pick even when he was ranked as a second or third round pick.

 

[guillermo]

My concern about Hooker is how badly Georgia shut him down...

He didn't look like an NFL starting QB against the Georgia Bulldogs this year and Georgia's D is the more like an NFL D that most other college programs.
He kept backing up in the pocket...instead of stepping up or sliding right or left! Most of his stats came late in the game when it had long been decided who won.

His age and the offense that was run at UT doesn't help his NFL aspirations.


Again this doesn't bode well for a successful NFL starter...

If you focus in only one game, uou may have a concern about the Georgia game. On the other hand, you should be excited about his performance at the Alabama game (five touchdowns).

But the matter of fact, the important thing is that you have 41 games of film to evaluate Hooker. And that is the point. I really don't think his age is a negative. He has the experience, you can see how he plays on games he should have won, how he performed in crucial games. You have 3 seasons of teammates who can tell you the kind of guy he is.

I really preferred to gamble on a guy we have enough tape to evaluate. I am not one who gets excited on the athletic ability and lack of experience of guys like Zach Wilson or Trey Lance.

 

[sammymvpknight]

So we should never draft a rookie QB? Not trying to be snarky, but that would be the implication given they usually don’t fully start year one.

He’s going to be ready for training camp, but you are right that he’d still likely not start right away. That’s part of developing a future (hopefully) franchise QB.

He wouldn’t even start to develop year 1. There is also a ton that goes into psychology. These players arent Madden robots. They are use to being great and playing. I have serious concerns about Hooker. The track record of rookies missing their first season and being great is very poor.

Hooker looks awkward to me. He looks like a slightly more athletic Teddy Bridgewater coming out but without Teddy’s ability to read defenses and go through progressions. I think he’s a 3rd-4th round prospect considering the entire picture. There is a substantial drop after the top 4 QBs in this class. You really don’t want to be the team selecting the 5th QB. The Saints have to be patient and let the draft come to them. If they don’t get a QB so be it…they won’t likely be a legit contender this year anyway