Hendon Hooker is making steady progress, and according to Dan Campbell, the quarterback’s improvement in making reads is encouraging.
Being able to progress through their reads is a key component of every NFL quarterback’s game. It was also one of the key potential concerns surrounding Detroit Lions second-year quarterback Hendon Hooker when he entered the NFL Draft in 2023. Now, a year into his NFL career, Lions coach Dan Campbell has been happy to see Hooker’s consistent development in this area.
Hooker spent the majority of his rookie season recovering from his ACL, absorbing the offensive playbook, and learning from the other veteran quarterback minds around him, including Jared Goff, Teddy Bridgewater, and quarterbacks coach Mark Brunell, among others. In February, Lions coach Dan Campbell said that he was encouraged by Hooker’s developmental growth during his rookie season , noting that the team saw the physical and mental progress they were hoping for from the signal caller during his first year.
Entering 2024, with his ACL recovery behind him, the next obstacle Hooker’s NFL acclimation surrounded how quickly he would be able to adapt to a more complex NFL scheme. In college, Hooker was a Heisman contender in Tennessee’s quarterback-friendly offense. Most of the time, he was asked to make simple half-field or high-low reads, many of which were even pre-determined by the play call. So despite his success, the system Hooker played in led many draft analysts to contemplate how long it would take for him to adapt to an NFL offense.
Last week, the Lions began their offseasons OTAs and the media was able to get their first look at Hooker operating in an NFL offense. Our own Jeremy Reisman was on hand for first impressions :
“I thought it was a very mixed bag from the second-year quarterback,” Reisman said of Hooker. “The ball does jump nicely off his hands, and he can really put some zip on it. He roped a few passes up the seam that some starting quarterbacks probably couldn’t throw. However, the accuracy was inconsistent, at best. A couple of passes probably should have been picked off. That said, he did connect on a deep shot.”
On Thursday, with the Lions second week of OTAs underway, Campbell spoke with the media about Hooker’s progress and once again noted that he was encouraged by the direction Hooker was consistently progressing—specifically identifying Hooker’s ability to progress through his reads.
“There was some improvement yesterday (Wednesday) that we had really been looking for,” Campbell said. “And you felt a little bit of—there’s some development there that was really good to see. Just some of his reads, some of the throws he made. It’s hard to put a timeline on things. Every player grows at a different level—especially at that position. […] You just need to see growth, so yesterday it was good to see.”
Hooker was able to return to practice near the end of his rookie season, but it’s worth noting that this is Hooker’s first spring in an NFL camp, and he’s still adjusting his game.
“It’s a learning curve,” Hooker told the media in Allen Park on Thursday. “So you know, jumping in and really taking real reps, navigating through the offense, through audibles and checks, it’s a new perspective. But I’m enjoying the process.”
For now, that’s where Hooker’s focus needs to be: stacking positive days and learning from the process. While he appears to be the favorite for the QB2 job this fall, he’s keeping his goals focused this spring.
“Continue to gain confidence, continue to master the offense, and just complete balls,” Hooker continued. “So, just getting back into the rhythm of moving off my spot and completing balls. Just playing free. That’s what I’m trying to get to: just playing free like I was at Tennessee.”