NFL analyst Cris Collinsworth is one of the smartest minds in football, but he turned heads Tuesday when he revealed his mock draft and prompted the Kansas City Chiefs to make an interesting decision.
The reigning Super Bowl champions have the final first-round pick on Thursday, and it seems like an addition would be an embarrassment of riches for a team that has reached the Super Bowl in three of the past four seasons, winning it twice behind. Patrick Mahomes.
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Cris Collinsworth goes over how she reviews game video with Paul Daugherty on Tuesday, February 8, 2022, a week before the Cincinnati Bengals play the LA Rams in the Super Bowl. (Phil Didion/USA TODAY NETWORK)
In Collinsworth’s mock draft, he has the Chiefs drafting Hendon Hooker at No. 32.
NFL fans were stumped by the decision.
Collinsworth explained that Hooker could be used in an emergency if Mahomes were out for a quarter of the season at any time.
Hooker began his career at Virginia Tech before transferring to Tennessee before the 2021 season and played two years for the Volunteers. He came through strong in 2021 when he had 2,945 passing yards and 31 touchdown passes and led Tennessee to a 7-6 record.
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Cris Collinsworth, Sunday Night Football announcer, reacts during the game between the Los Angeles Chargers and the Miami Dolphins at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California on December 11, 2022. (Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports)
He really came into his own in 2022 when he led Tennessee to an upset win over Alabama. He had 3,135 passing yards and 27 touchdown passes. However, he tore his ACL at the end of the year and possibly hurt his draft stock in the process.
Even with the injury, Hooker has been predicted to go from the top 5 to the bottom of the first round in various mock drafts. He’ll certainly need most, if not all, of the 2023 season to recover and could be in the running for a starting job in 2024. It’s unclear if he’ll be with the Chiefs, though.
Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker, #5, runs into the end zone for a touchdown during his team’s game against Missouri at Neyland Stadium on Saturday, November 12, 2022. (Caitie McMekin/USA TODAY NETWORK)
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The Chiefs obviously have Mahomes as the quarterback of the future. Right now, the Chiefs have Blaine Gabbert and Shane Buechele on their roster as Mahomes’ backup.