Four quarterbacks are expected to go in the first round of the 2023 NFL draft: Alabama’s Bryce Young, Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud, Kentucky’s Will Levis and Florida’s Anthony Richardson. The next question is where Tennessee’s Hendon Hooker might go.
The betting odds suggest he might go to Minnesota.
The Vikings are the betting favorites to draft Hooker, with DraftKings currently listing them at Minnesota at +350 as Hooker’s landing spot. Up next is Seattle at +900, Tennessee at +1000, Detroit at +1100, New England at +1200 and Tampa Bay, Las Vegas and Washington all at +1400.
The Vikings own the 23rd overall pick in the draft, which some might see as too high to take Hooker. But the Vikings don’t have a second-round pick, so if Hooker is a quarterback they think could be their starter some day, the first round may be where they need to take him.
The decision-makers in Minnesota have said that ideally they’d like their next franchise quarterback to spend a year developing behind Kirk Cousins. Hooker going to Minnesota, spending 2023 on the sideline and then taking over for Cousins in 2024 could be an option.