Allen Park — They waited and waited, while we wondered and wondered.
Then when the time finally came, Lions receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown decided to have a little fun and add to the suspense.
As one of the guest announcers for pick selections at the NFL Draft in Kansas City, St. Brown strode onto the stage, held up the Lions’ card and began, “With the 68th pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, the Detroit Lions select …” Then he paused for effect, looked to his left and then to his right, and made it official, “Hendon Hooker. Quarterback. Tennessee.”
And just like that, fans in Detroit finally had what they’ve long sought: A backup quarterback with the potential to be something more than that. A backup capable of creating a quarterback controversy. Someday, anyway.
So give Lions general manager Brad Holmes credit for that, at least. He finally addressed a need that has lingered on the Lions’ roster through the tenures of multiple GMs and coaches.
Hooker, whom the Lions selected in the third round Friday night with the 68th overall pick in this year’s draft, may not be a first-round talent, though there was plenty of speculation the Tennessee standout — still rehabbing from a torn ACL he suffered last November — might come off the board Thursday night.
But he is the first investment of real draft capital at the position here since the Lions took Matthew Stafford with the No. 1 overall pick in 2009. Detroit hadn’t drafted a quarterback with any pick since 2017, when then-GM Bob Quinn used a sixth-round selection on Brad Kaaya.
And to hear Holmes talk about it Friday night, after he’d capped a trade-filled Day 2 that ended with four new players added to the roster, that’s actually another sign of progress.
“You guys know, when (head coach) Dan (Campbell) and I got here, we started from the studs, we started from the ground up,” Holmes said. “And the fact that Jared (Goff) has been playing as well as he has, and we’ve had so many things to address … we just haven’t been in the best position to address that backup quarterback position as much as I would have liked.
“Trust me, it wasn’t anything that was ignored. We just had a lot of other areas that we needed to address. But we finally feel like we’re at a point with the roster where we were able to make a move like this and it feels good.”
It felt like the perfect time, really, for a move like this. One that doesn’t carry a lot of risk — especially given the timing of it in this draft, and the timetable for Hooker’s development entering the NFL — but could pay off down the line.
A rebuild that started with the blockbuster trade of Stafford to the Los Angeles Rams — and brought another former No. 1 overall pick to Detroit in Goff — turned a corner last fall with Goff firmly in control at the wheel. The 28-year-old enjoyed one of his most efficient seasons leading a top-five offense in the NFL, completing 67% of his passes with 29 touchdowns and only seven interceptions as the Lions won eight of their last 10 and just missed a playoff berth.
Goff still has two years and a total of $52 million left on his contract, which is a modest price tag considering that’s the average annual value of Lamar Jackson’s new deal in Baltimore. And the Lions are still a year away from feeling the pressure to extend Goff’s deal.
That buys them time to see if Goff’s truly the long-term answer here as a top-10 starter in the league, while also starting the clock on Hooker’s development and a transition that won’t be easy — the spread offense he ran at Tennessee isn’t what he’ll be running as a pro — but also won’t be rushed.
The Lions looked around in free agency for a veteran backup, well aware that last year’s offseason plan — banking on Tim Boyle and David Blough — was a failure. Holmes struck out with a couple of the veterans he’d targeted when the market opened last month, but he ended up bringing back Nate Sudfeld, who’d initially signed with the Lions at the start of training camp last September. He’ll be Goff’s backup for now, most likely, while Hooker begins what should amount to a redshirt year.
“I mean, obviously, he’ll be a rookie, and he’s gonna have to transition into playing in a different type of scheme,” Holmes said. “But we’re really excited about his upside. … And, again, I think we have the right situation for him, just to come in, sit back, see how Jared and Nate do things and just develop.”
What that develops into, we’ll see. But Hooker’s ability suggests there’s some real potential there, as a dual-threat quarterback with a legit arm, impressive accuracy and some first-rate intelligence and intangibles at the position where those count for a lot.
There’s no pressure here, but that’s a perfect scenario for now. For all parties involved.
“I’m just taking it day by day,” Hooker said, “and whenever I’m ready to rock and roll, that’s gonna be a sight to see.”
john.niyo@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @JohnNiyo