How Hendon Hooker can do one last favor for Tennessee football and Josh Heupel | Toppmeyer

Tennessee did Hendon Hooker a favor when it fired Jeremy Pruitt and replaced him with a more quarterback friendly coach, Josh Heupel. Hooker returned the favor as he became a first-team All-SEC quarterback and led the Vols to their best season in more than two decades.

Now, Hooker can do one more favor for Tennessee and Heupel: Go thrive in the NFL, and disprove doubters who say Heupel’s quarterbacks are a byproduct of a good college system that won’t translate to the next level.

By all appearances, Hooker's draft stock is soaring, although he's still nagged by some questions about how he'll transition from the Vols' spread tempo scheme to a pro style.

Recruits evidently are nonplussed about Tennessee quarterbacks being labeled system quarterbacks. Five-star freshman Nico Iamaleava is Tennessee’s most anticipated quarterback prospect since Peyton Manning. Jake Merklinger, a top-100 2024 recruit, committed to UT last week.

Nevertheless, Hooker going early in the NFL Draft pick and slicing up pro defenses would silence the lingering idea that a quarterback who flourishes in Heupel’s offense may become exposed in the NFL.

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With the draft less than three weeks away, I am struck by this thought: What would Hooker’s draft stock be had he played in Pruitt’s plodding offense?

Answer: Probably not nearly as high as it is now.

Also, what would Heupel’s coaching stock be if he’d had a quarterback other than Hooker at the controls the past two seasons?

Answer: Probably not nearly as high as it is now.

Hooker’s two seasons at Tennessee after he transferred from Virginia Tech marked the perfect marriage of quarterback, coach and system. He’ll be asked to operate a little differently in the NFL.

Among the skeptics, ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr., according to On3.com, recently said Heupel’s offense “made it possible” for Hooker’s stats “to be through the roof.”

Hooker, 25, also is coming off an ACL injury suffered in November. Kiper views him as as a second-round talent. Others eye him as a first-rounder.

Heupel’s system does indeed allow for inflated stats, but, as Kiper knows, Hooker displayed qualities at UT that should attract NFL attention.

Notably:

• Hooker is tremendously accurate, and he makes smart decisions.

• NFL teams will appreciate Hooker’s leadership.

• At 6-foot-3, he possesses prototypical NFL size.

• Hooker is a nifty runner. This year's Super Bowl matchup, featuring quarterbacks Patrick Mahomes and Jalen Hurts, showed how mobility is a bonus in the pros.

“I’m not sure anybody in college football had more on their plate than Hendon did," Heupel said last month, "and then you throw in the tempo that we play at, you’ve got to be a quick decision-maker."

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I'm not surprised Hooker’s draft stock gained momentum after he attended the NFL scouting combine. Although Hooker’s knee injury prevented him from doing drills, he was able to meet with NFL personnel. It’s hard to come away unimpressed from a chat with Hooker.

One former NFL general manager, Mike Tannenbaum, even projected that Hooker could go No. 5 overall to the Seattle Seahawks.

“His ceiling, to me, is of a frontline starting NFL quarterback,” Tannenbaum said, in his role with ESPN. “There are no flaws in his game. He’s a good athlete. He has great downfield accuracy.”

Hooker being selected within the first five picks seems lofty, especially considering how loaded this draft class is with quarterback talent. But, I wouldn’t let Heupel’s system be a deterrent toward drafting Hooker.

In fact, Heupel said NFL teams have picked his brain about how to incorporate some elements of Tennessee's offense. Football evolution occurs from the ground up. Run-pass option plays didn’t start in the NFL. Rather, high school and college teams found success with RPOs, and they eventually trickled up to the NFL.

We probably won’t see NFL teams going full Heupel-mode anytime soon, but would it surprise you if the team that selects Hooker tinkers with some up-tempo spread concepts? The scheme creates running lanes and puts defenses into conflict.

It's true that one of Heupel’s past talents, Missouri quarterback Drew Lock, did not take root as an NFL starter, after he starred at Missouri, where Heupel was his offensive coordinator for two seasons. Lock is Seattle's backup quarterback.

Lock, though, never displayed Hooker's accuracy or consistency, and he was prone to interceptions. Lock’s best completion percentage with Heupel as his coordinator was 57.8%.

Hooker’s completion percentage last season? 69.6%.

Heupel’s system positions quarterbacks for success and inflates stats, but he’s never had a quarterback play like Hooker did last season.

If Hooker’s abilities translate to the NFL, we should consider retiring the phrase “system quarterback” for quarterbacks who star in Heupel’s offense.

Blake Toppmeyer is an SEC Columnist for the USA TODAY Network. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter @btoppmeyer.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY NETWORK: NFL Draft: How Hendon Hooker can do one last favor for Josh Heupel