Reports: Rising quarterback prospect to visit Buccaneers, Lions

Four signal-callers -– Bryce Young, C.J. Stroud, Will Levis and Anthony Richardson –- are expected to hear their names called on Day 1 of this month’s draft. Hooker is widely seen as the next best option, though, and should be viewed as a dark horse for Round 1 in his own right.

The ACL injury which prematurely ended his final year in Knoxville has hurt his draft stock, though Garafolo notes that Hooker is expected to available for at least part of the 2023 season. Age (25) is another cause for concern when it comes to the Tennessee signal-caller.

Those concerns have not stopped teams like the Buccaneers from showing interest, though. Tampa Bay enters the post-Tom Brady era 2021 with second-rounder Kyle Trask set to compete with veteran signing Baker Mayfield in August camp. The former has nine regular season pass attempts to his name while the latter has been inked a one-year deal. Given that overall situation, many have pointed to the Bucs as a landing spot for a second-tier passer to develop over the long term.

Detroit, meanwhile, has a known quarterback commodity on the books in Jared Goff. The former top pick is under contract for two more years, but only will not be guaranteed money after the coming campaign. That could set up the Lions for a transition to a younger option in the near future.

Tampa Bay and Detroit own picks No. 19 and 18, respectively. The Lions are also scheduled to pick sixth overall. Those selections are probably a little too lofty for Hooker, but Detroit owns the 48th pick, while the 50th belongs to Tampa Bay.

Hooker has already reportedly met with the Saints and has sit-downs planned with the Commanders and Raiders. Wherever he lands, his first NFL franchise will be well-versed in his skillset and recovery timeline and quite possibly have faced significant competition to acquire him.