A former NFL Pro Bowler described a former Tennessee Vols quarterback as a “hidden gem” this week.
Former NFL safety Rodney Harrison, who won two Super Bowl rings while playing for the New England Patriots, is a big fan of former Vols quarterback Hendon Hooker.
Hooker, a third round selection by the Detroit Lions in the 2023 NFL Draft, just wrapped up his second season in the NFL.
Harrison, who is now an analyst for NBC Sports, suggested during a recent appearance on Pro Football Talk that the New York Jets should trade for Hooker this offseason to address their starting quarterback situation.
The former NFL Pro Bowler also said that he’d take Hooker right now over the top two quarterbacks in the 2025 NFL Draft — Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders and Miami’s Cam Ward.
“I’ll tell you this, I’m taking Hendon Hooker before I’m taking Shedeur Sanders, before I’m taking Cam Ward, I’m taking that guy,” said Harrison. “He’s been rehabbing, he’s been behind Jared Goff the last couple years. He’s been with coach Ben Johnson, so you know he’s been coached the right way. He’s a very mature young man. I’m telling you this Hendon Hooker, I’ve been on him for a while. I think he’s a hidden gem in the National Football League. And I think it would be smart if the Jets went after him.”
Harrison has a little more insight when it comes to Hooker than most NFL analysts.
That’s because Harrison’s son, safety Christian Harrison, spent three seasons at Tennessee before transferring to Cincinnati earlier this year. Christian was a true freshman at Tennessee in 2022, which was Hooker’s best season in college.
