Lions land QB Hendon Hooker, whose 'urgent' play impressed GM Brad Holmes

Allen Park — The Detroit Lions have found an upgrade at backup quarterback. After trading back twice, and out of the second round, the Lions selected Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker in the third round with the No. 68 overall pick.

Hooker, 25, who suffered a torn ACL in late November, is otherwise coming off two excellent seasons at Tennessee. In 24 games, he completed 68.8% of his passes with 58 touchdowns to just five interceptions.

"You guys have all heard, ‘Oh, spread offense, fast, they go high-tempo, all that stuff,'" Lions general manager Brad Holmes said. "The way he was running it, there were things that I saw in that live game that you can’t see on tape. It was his urgency and his tempo throughout the game. He was playing very, very urgent. He was playing violent in the run game. He was playing violent in that passing game.

"I just kind of like the nature of the way he was playing," Holmes continued. "And there were little things that kind of stood out to me in terms of, you know, he’d score a touchdown, and instead of him being on the bench with the headset on, or talking to the coach in the box, he’s standing on the sideline waiting to congratulate his extra-point team. So, it’s little things like that, that show what kind of person he is. Regardless of background and all that, he’s just a good football player and if he wasn’t, then we wouldn’t have acquired him.

Holmes had prioritized improving Detroit's backup situation. The team was forced to cut the underperforming tandem of Tim Boyle and David Blough at the end of training camp last year.

"I feel like last year we kind of left training camp kind of sliding into home plate trying to fill that backup quarterback role," Holmes said at the NFL combine in late February. "That's on me. I gotta do a better job of making sure that we're not in that position again. So that is something that we're gonna need to address whether it's here in free agency or upcoming in the draft. But that's something that we've had a lot of conversations about. I gotta do a better job of making sure we get that rectified."

After cutting Boyle and Blough, the Lions signed Nate Sudfeld to back up starter Jared Goff last season and re-signed Sudfeld to a one-year deal this offseason.

Also at the combine, offensive coordinator Ben Johnson said the most important trait the team could identify in a backup is the ability to win games in a pinch, focusing on their ability to execute on third down and in two-minute-drive situations.

"There are a number of backups out there — the majority of the backups out there — where it's just keep the train on the tracks and let's manage this thing," Johnson said. "The really good ones, the best backups, they're the ones that can still win a ballgame for you. I think if you look at the win-loss record for backups in the league, it's hard to find ones who are over .500. The guy we had in Miami was Matt Moore, and I think Matt Moore was one of the best backup quarterbacks. He had a winning record as a starter, and we knew if the game was on the line, he could come in and we wouldn't miss a beat. And the guys believed in him."

As a starter for Tennessee, Hooker posted a 15-8 record, including a 9-2 mark last season before going down with the knee injury. He said he's making good progress in his recovery from the injury and has recently started running on a zero-gravity treadmill.

"I’m taking it day by day, continuing to control what I can control and keep a great attitude and work," Hooker said. "That’s all I can do. While I was on my visits, I’m working in the hotel room, continuing to keep my upper body and lower body in some type of shape. When I came back home, everyone was like, ‘Man, you’re looking really big.’ Because I was just doing a lot of push-ups, a lot of sit-ups, a lot of crunches. ... So, it’s been a grind and just take it day by day. Whenever I’m ready to rock and roll, that’s going to be a sight to see."

Before making the selection, the Lions initially shipped the No. 55 pick in the second round, as well as a sixth-rounder (No. 196), to the Kansas City Chiefs in exchange for the No. 63, 122 and 249 picks. The Chiefs used the No. 55 choice to take SMU receiver Rashee Rice.

Detroit then shipped that No. 63 pick to the Denver Broncos, along with No. 183 in the sixth round, in exchange for No. 68 in the third round and No. 139 in the fifth.

It marked the Lions' third and fourth trades in the draft. The team previously moved back from No. 6 to No. 12 in the first round, prior to selecting Alabama running back Jahmyr Gibbs. And on Friday, they used a fifth-rounder (No. 159) to move up two spots in the second round to take Alabama safety Brian Branch at No. 46 overall.

Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown announced the Hooker pick live at the draft in Kansas City.

jdrogers@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @Justin_Rogers