Chicago Bears Daily 2017 NFL Draft Prospect: Ohio State Safety Malik Hooker
The Chicago Bears continue their never-ending search for safety help. In Malik Hooker, they have a player with just one season of game film, but oh was that film great.
It seems the Chicago Bears are on a never-ending quest for safety help. They’ve had a few who had a moment here or there, but no one who locked down the position in the long-term like Bear great Gary Fencik.
Then comes Malik Hooker.
Hooker is a 6-foot-1, 206-pound safety out of Ohio State. He is a freakish athlete who didn’t even play football until his junior year in high school. Basketball was his first sports love, and it shows on the field. He is a ball hawk who finds his way to it as quickly as possible. In 2016, he had seven interceptions. The entire Chicago Bears defense had eight. He also recorded 74 tackles and 11 passes defended.
At his size, he covers any of the big receivers the league sends his way. He doesn’t possess elite speed, but his instincts are excellent. His diagnosis of a play before it happens separates him from other players. His balance is impeccable. Even when he gets caught, he can swiftly and easily change directions and get back on the play.
The problem with Hooker is his experience. As I mentioned, he didn’t even start football until a junior in high school. Then, in his freshman year, he red-shirted. When he finally got on the field his next season, he played on special teams. It wasn’t until his red-shirt sophomore season that he finally got to show his skills at safety.
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2016 is the only time we have game film on Hooker, but oh what film that was. His natural ability showed; so much so that scouts fell in love with him despite seeing so little. Some of those scouts compare his athleticism and ball hawk skills to Ed Reed.
What we know about Hooker is that he is still raw. To be as good as he is now and still be raw is incredible. That’s what attracts scouts. As good as he is, he will still be a project. He may struggle in his first season, but then turn around and become an All-Pro player.
The problem I have with Hooker is whether he loves football. There are plenty of players with tons of talent who play football because they can. They don’t really love the game, they can just play it. Hooker may be in that category.
Hooker nearly quit Ohio State during his freshman season because football was a chore and he was no longer the big fish in a small pond. His mother kept him from doing so, however. She stayed on top of him until he finally broke through and now on the verge of being a top-ten NFL draft pick.
An article on USA Today Sports illustrates Hookers attitude towards football.
"When I made my decision that I was going to come here and play football, I really didn’t think it through. I mean, think about it. You play one year of (high school) football and Ohio State comes knocking on your door asking you to come play football here. There’s no way you can turn that down…He nearly quit. Coming home in the winter of his freshman year, Hooker told his mother, Angela Dennis, that he was thinking of leaving Ohio State to pursue basketball, maybe walking onto a nearby college program. He was shot down. You’re not a quitter, Davis said, and you’re going to finish what you started."
My question is, what if it happens again? The step up from college to pros is even higher than going from high school to college. When the going gets tough, will he quit? At least as a pro, he’ll have some of that guaranteed money.
The other concern is his health. He had offseason surgery. That surgery prevented him from performing in the NFL Combine. Ohio State’s Pro Day is on March 23rd, and Hooker expects to miss that as well. That means the only time anyone sees Hooker is on his game film. One season is a lot of faith to put on to gamble a top-three pick on.
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Malik Hooker may turn out to be as great as many envision him. He may also be a bust. The Chicago Bears need to make a big decision on what they see in him. Personally, I would stay away from him. There are plenty of other safeties who have more experience and can step in right away and help them.