Amani Hooker played his high school football in Minneapolis, Minn. at Park Center High. Hooker was a three-star recruit and chose the Iowa Hawkeyes over Minnesota, Northern Iowa, and Wisconsin according to Rivals. During his three years in Iowa City, Hooker finished with six interceptions, nine pass breakups, 3.5 tackles-for-loss, and one sack.
Hooker is an elite athlete. He posted a 1.0 sigma, which landed him in the 84.5th percentile according to SPARQ.
Film review
Hooker is not a scheme dependent safety. He played a variety of roles for Iowa’s defense in 2018. He matched up in man coverage against backs, receivers, and tight ends. He rotated into the box to monitor the short and intermediate areas. He also played deep safety as he patrolled the third or half of the field.
Hooker is much more comfortable as a deep safety in a two safety shell (Cover 2/4). He is a smart player who reads route tendencies and also displays the range to cover ground.
Hooker starts as a deep half safety. He gets into his backpedal, but he picks up on the corner route when the receiver sticks his foot on the ground. Hooker stays light on his feet, but then explodes to get in front of the receiver and pick off the quarterback.
Hooker rotated as a nickel corner for the Hawkeyes too. He matches in man coverage versus highly rated wide receiver Hakeem Butler. Butler is a physical receiver, but Hooker also shows his physical nature by getting hands on him to disrupt the release. He doesn’t flip or change directions fluidly when in man coverage, but if a defense wants him to man up in the red zone Hooker is the guy.
Hooker matches with the receiver in the slot after the motion. As mentioned above, he struggles to flip his hips and change direction. Iowa asked him to play inside leverage based on his positioning, but the receiver still exposes him with a sharp cut. Fortunately, it wasn’t taken advantage of, but this is an area where Hooker has to improve.
Hooker is an excellent reader of the game. He has high level instincts when he’s lined up in the box, deep, or at nickel. He reads the intentions of the quarterback before locating the route and cleanly tackling the opponent. Hooker has a good understanding of zone coverage, which allows him to make these quick decisions.
Hooker did not impress as a run defender in the four games I watched. He is an aggressive player, but he consistently rook poor angles as he pursued the running back. His metrics as a tackler were not terrible, but he needs to play with more poise in run defense. He only had a 6.5% broken tackle percentage, which means many of the players he got hands on didn’t escape. His tackling form is fine, but he has to improve his pursuit angles.
The good news is that pass defense is more important than run defense in today’s NFL, but coaches are still not going to enjoy the poor angles.
Fit with Carolina
The Panthers have a reliable box and run safety in Eric Reid. Hooker would add an element for their defense that they haven’t had in a while. His range, instincts, and zone awareness make him a perfect piece for Carolina’s defense. Rivera employs a diverse set of coverages, but Hooker proved that he can match up with receivers in man coverage. His best work comes in zone as a deep half safety. He could rotate into the box to disguise coverages too. The Panthers should strongly consider Hooker if he’s on the board in the second round.