Amani

Hooker

Tennesse sent the Nos. 121 and 157 picks to the Jets to get this selection and pick No. 168. Hooker (5’11/210) turned pro as a true junior after starting for two seasons as a Hawkeye, logging 15 career pass breakups and six picks. He was voted Big Ten DB of the Year in 2018, earning PFF College’s No. 1 cornerback grade in the conference and allowing an anemic 55.8 passer rating when targeted. Hooker backed up his stock at the Combine with 81st-percentile SPARQ results, including 4.48 speed and a twitchy 6.81 three-cone time. A well-rounded safety with ample coverage and tackling skills, Hooker projects as an Adrian Amos-level starter in the pros.

Hooker is a favorite of many scouts/analysts this year, and Rang is not an exception. “Hooker excelled wherever Iowa place him last season, excelling at nickel as well as both safety positions,” he writes. “That type of versatility – along with his prototypical size and proven speed – could make Hooker the highest player drafted on this list.” Hooker is going on Day 2, and we would not be shocked if he was off the board before the end of the second round.

“Versatility is a key to his game; can line up at any of the safety positions and would excel in the box or hovering in the middle of the field taking away underneath and seam routes,” Miller wrote in his analysis of Hooker (5'11/210), who he compared to Saints S Kenny Vaccaro. The analyst also noted that using Hooker as a single-high safety could be an issue due to his lack of experience in that role, and he also tends to give up too big of a cushion in man coverage. Hooker’s expected to be a Day 2 selection in this month’s draft.

“I do not understand why there isn’t more hype surrounding former Iowa defensive back Amani Hooker,” writes Easterling. “There isn’t a better prospect in this draft for the big nickel sets in the NFL.” The Steelers certainly need help in the defensive backfield, and Easterling notes that the 5-foot-11, 210-pound defender can work “seamlessly” between nickel and corner. If Hooker is still on the board late on Day 2, this is a pick that makes a lot of sense on paper.

Hooker (5'11/210) is best-suited as a “robber” and man defender against tight ends, according to Zierlein, but the analyst questions if he has the ability to cover wideouts in man because he’s not “twitchy.” At the NFL Scouting Combine, Hooker ran a modest 4.48-second 40-yard dash, but he did record a nice 37-inch vertical. Since he’s not a great athlete, Hooker is expected to be a mid-round selection.

That time ranks tied for eighth with Utah’s Marquis Blair and Florida’s Chauncey Gardner-Johnson among players at the safety position. The 5-foot-11, 210-pound defender was even more impressive in the agility drills; his 20-yard shuttle time of 4.10 seconds ranked fourth at the position, and the 60-yard version time of 11.59 seconds did the same thing. He also added a 37-inch vertical (fifth) and 123-inch broad jump (ninth). Hooker had questions from analysts about his athleticism on tape. Those concerns should have been at least somewhat alleviated based on what he did in Indianapolis on Monday.

This is a bit lower than most others in the industry are projecting him to go which is the second or third round. Ledyard “wants to like” Hooker but “just can’t get there.” He explains “Hooker is the living embodiment of that feeling. His smarts, awareness and mental processing as a player are rare, but so is his lack of athleticism in a Power 5 starting safety.” Despite the reasonable concerns, Hooker is a versatile player a team will convince themselves to select on Day 2.

Crabbs’ biggest concern comes with Hooker’s ability to play as a single-high safety in Cover-1 due to his lack of “initial burst and range.” He’s confident he’ll succeed in Cover-2 and “shallow zones thanks to terrific football IQ, clean footwork for sudden transitions and good ball skills.” Walter Football’s Charlie Campbell believes Hooker will land as a second-or-third rounder at this point.

Hooker (6'0/210) is coming off a 2018 campaign in which he was named the Big Ten’s Tatum-Woodson Defensive Back of the Year. He has all kinds of versatility, having worked at both safety and a hybrid cornerback/linebacker role this past season. Walter Football’s Charlie Campbell views Hooker as a second- or third-rounder at this juncture.

Hooker (6'0/210), who won the Big Ten’s Tatum-Woodson Defensive Back of the Year award this season, accounted for 65 total tackles (3.5 for loss), one sack, four interceptions and seven pass breakups. His versatility, which allowed the Big Ten’s best defensive back to be used as an outside linebacker or slot corner depending upon the situation, is viewed as one of Hooker’s strengths as he takes his talents to the NFL.