After two trade-backs with the Kansas City Chiefs and Denver Broncos, the Detroit Lions ended up with the No. 68 pick in the 2023 NFL draft and they selected Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker.
Storybook year
Hooker was one of the feel-good stories of the 2022 college football season. After spending four seasons at Virginia Tech (starting 15 games) Hooker transferred to Tennessee in 2021 and started 11 games. In 2022, he took advantage of the extra year of eligibility given to college players to offset games lost due to the COVID pandemic, and it would prove to be an incredibly wise decision.