2023 NFL Draft: 3 Early Predictions for the Denver Broncos

Drafting QB Hendon Hooker

It's not out of the realm of possibility that Sean Payton gets to establish a young quarterback out of the draft that can learn under Russell Wilson.

Being the backup quarterback (QB2) is one of the most underrated positions in the league. We all saw what happened to the San Francisco 49ers this past year. It's essential to have a competent QB2 and Hendon Hooker gives the Denver Broncos tremendous value in that department.

Hooker is coming off a torn ACL he suffered mid-season with the Tennessee Volunteers. During his Heisman campaign (pre-injury), he was one of the best quarterbacks in college football. Hooker completed 69% of his passes while throwing 27 touchdowns and two interceptions. He's won 23 college games and I mention this because Bill Parcells always looked at how many wins (and the level of competition) the player has in college. It gives an accurate read on if he knows how to win and the experience he has. Sean Payton can adopt this philosophy himself by drafting Hooker.

Hooker throws a beautiful deep ball and can escape from the pocket. What is also great about him is he stands 6'4 and weighs around 215 lbs. Hooker has everything physically a coach would want in a quarterback.

Brett Rypien being QB2 is not a successful backup plan for the Broncos. Anything can happen, and there needs to be a quarterback that is young and willing to help the team. Drafting Hooker solves all of those problems in addition to his upside being great.

Payton recognizes that if he drafts a quarterback and he executes at a high level, he may have the future of the franchise learning every day from Wilson. That'd be a dream scenario for the Broncos after being in QB purgatory for many years.

That said, Denver will draft Hendon Hooker as he continues to fall in the draft due to concerns about his torn ACL and injury.