Tennessee Titans: Amani Hooker may become the steal of 2019 NFL Draft

Amani Hooker was a fantastic fourth-round selection for the Tennessee Titans in the 2019 NFL Draft.

Starting with dynamic defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons in the first and talented wide receiver A.J. Brown in the second, the Tennessee Titans absolutely nailed the 2019 NFL Draft. They did a fantastic job of finding value throughout the draft and are undoubtedly in a strong position going forward.

Honestly, I liked all of the Titans’ picks in this draft. They simply never reached for lesser talent and were still able to fill legitimate needs on their roster. However, the pick that really stood out was the Titans snagging Iowa safety Amani Hooker in the fourth round (116th overall).

Hooker is a fantastic hybrid safety who really excels as an in-the-box defender. He is strong against the run, showing the ability to quickly get downhill and attack the ball carrier. Hooker is also a fantastic tackler in open space. He shows strong man-to-man coverage skills, having a good combination of size, quickness and toughness to compete against bigger tight ends and quicker running backs and slot receivers.

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Hooker lacks the ideal speed to be a big-time playmaker as a single-high safety at the next level. That being said, his fantastic natural instincts and strong ball skills give him a chance to be adequate in that role. His overall zone coverage skills are strong, but his skill set is simply better suited for short zone coverage, where he should be able to come in and make an immediate impact.

As his run defense and tackling ability would suggest, Hooker is also an extremely impressive special teams asset. He is a true core special teams player who will make an impact on all kick coverage teams. If nothing else, the Titans found a player who can come in and immediately contribute in those areas.

With Kevin Byard, Kenny Vaccaro and Dane Cruikshank on the roster, safety was not a major need for the Tennessee Titans in the 2019 NFL Draft. However, Hooker was simply too good of a value to pass up. As an obvious special teams asset who should also make an impact as a third safety, Hooker has immediate value for the Titans. He also shows some long-term upside that could make him an absolute steal as a fourth-round selection.