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Malik Hooker

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Malik Hooker
refer to caption
Hooker with the Indianapolis Colts in 2018
No. 28 – Dallas Cowboys
Position:Safety
Personal information
Born: (1996-04-02) April 2, 1996 (age 28)
New Castle, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Height:6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight:212 lb (96 kg)
Career information
High school:New Castle
(New Castle, Pennsylvania)
College:Ohio State (2014–2016)
NFL draft:2017 / round: 1 / pick: 15
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of Week 7, 2024
Total tackles:306
Forced fumbles:1
Fumble recoveries:4
Pass deflections:21
Interceptions:12
Defensive touchdowns:1
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Malik Hooker (born April 2, 1996) is an American professional football safety for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Ohio State and was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts with the 15th overall pick in the 2017 NFL draft. While at Ohio State, Hooker was named a unanimous All-American in 2016 and won the 2015 CFP national championship.

Early life

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Hooker attended New Castle High School in New Castle, Pennsylvania. He played basketball and two years of football in high school as a cornerback and wide receiver.[1] As a senior, he was the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Male Athlete of the Year.[2] A 3-star safety recruit, Hooker committed to play college football at Ohio State over offers from Arizona, Boston College, Michigan, Nebraska, Penn State, Virginia Tech, and West Virginia, among others.[3]

College career

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After redshirting his first year at Ohio State in 2014, Hooker played in all 13 games in 2015, recording 10 tackles playing mostly special teams. As a redshirt sophomore in 2016, he took over at free safety.[4][5] During the first game of the season, he recorded his first two career interceptions.[6][7] On November 29, 2016, Hooker was named first-team All-Big Ten.[8] After the season, Hooker decided to forgo the remaining two years of eligibility and enter the 2017 NFL draft.[9] After his college career, it was revealed that Hooker underwent surgeries for a torn labrum in his hip and a sports hernia. As a result, Hooker could not participate in the combine.[10]

Professional career

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Pre-draft

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In February 2017, Hooker went through two surgeries to repair a hernia and a torn labrum. He attended the NFL Scouting Combine, but was unable to participate in any of the drills. 122 NFL scouts and representatives attended Ohio State's Pro Day as well as multiple head coaches, including Bill Belichick (New England Patriots), Todd Bowles (New York Jets), Jim Caldwell (Detroit Lions), John Harbaugh (Baltimore Ravens), Hue Jackson (Cleveland Browns), Marvin Lewis (Cincinnati Bengals), Mike Mularkey (Tennessee Titans), Sean Payton (New Orleans Saints), and Mike Tomlin (Pittsburgh Steelers). Hooker was projected to be a top 15 pick by NFL draft experts and analysts.[11] He was ranked the top free safety in the draft by DraftScout.com and was ranked the second best safety in the draft, behind Jamal Adams, by Sports Illustrated, ESPN, Pro Football Focus, NFL analyst Mike Mayock, and NFL analyst Bucky Brooks.[12][13][14][15][16]

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span Wonderlic
6 ft 1 in
(1.85 m) 		206 lb
(93 kg) 		32+1⁄4 in
(0.82 m) 		10+3⁄4 in
(0.27 m)		 17
All values from NFL Combine[17][18]

Indianapolis Colts

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Hooker in 2017

2017 season

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See also: 2017 Indianapolis Colts season

The Indianapolis Colts selected Hooker in the first round (15th overall) of the 2017 NFL Draft.[19] He was the second safety selected, behind LSU's Jamal Adams.[20]

On May 18, 2017, the Indianapolis Colts signed Hooker to a fully guaranteed four-year, $12.59 million contract that includes a signing bonus of $2.29 million.[21]

Hooker missed offseason workouts while recovering from surgery and suffered a groin injury during the first day of training camp. A shoulder injury further stunted his process and he was only able to appear in a single preseason game.[22] Head coach Chuck Pagano named Hooker the backup free safety to begin the regular season behind Darius Butler, who began the season alongside strong safety Matthias Farley.[23]

He made his professional regular season debut in the Colts' season-opener at the Los Angeles Rams and recorded four combined tackles in their 46–9 loss.[24] On September 17, 2017, Hooker earned his first career start in place of Darius Butler, who was inactive after sustaining a hamstring injury in the season-opener.[25] Hooker recorded two combined tackles, deflected a pass, and recorded his first career interception off a pass by quarterback Carson Palmer during their 16–13 overtime loss to the Arizona Cardinals in Week 2.[26] The following week, he made three combined tackles, broke up a pass, and intercepted a pass by DeShone Kizer in the Colts' 31–28 victory against the Browns.[24] In Week 4, Hooker made three combined tackles, a pass deflection, and had another interception off Russell Wilson in their 46–18 loss at the Seattle Seahawks.[24] It marked his third consecutive game with an interception. On October 8, 2017, Hooker collected a season-high five combined tackles during a 26–23 victory against the San Francisco 49ers.[24] In Week 7, Hooker made two solo tackles before leaving the Colts' 27–0 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars in the second quarter after suffering a torn ACL and MCL.[27] On October 24, 2017, the Indianapolis Colts placed Hooker on injured reserve after it was discovered he would require surgery and miss the remainder of the season.[28] He finished his rookie season with 22 combined tackles (16 solo), four pass deflections, and three interceptions in seven games and six starts.[29]

2018 season

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Hooker made his return from injury in week 1 against the Bengals. In the game, Hooker made 4 tackles in the 34–23 loss.[30] In week 7 against the Jets, Hooker made his first interception of the season off rookie quarterback Sam Darnold and returned it for 27 yards in the 42–34 loss.[31] In week 16 against the New York Giants, Hooker intercepted Eli Manning in the 28–27 win.[32] Hooker finished the season with 41 tackles (28 solo), 3 pass deflections, 2 interceptions, and 1 fumble recovery.

Hooker made his playoff debut in the wildcard round against the Houston Texans. In the game, Hooker made 2 tackles in the 21–7 win.[33] In the divisional round against the Kansas City Chiefs, Hooker was inactive due to a foot injury in the 31–13 loss.[34]

2019 season

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In week 1 against the Los Angeles Chargers, Hooker intercepted Philip Rivers in the endzone and returned it 26 yards in the 30–24 overtime loss.[35][36]

2020 season

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On May 1, 2020, the Colts declined the fifth-year option on Hooker's contract, making him a free agent in 2021.

On September 20, 2020, during the Colts' victory over the Minnesota Vikings, Hooker tore his Achilles, ending his 2020 season. He was placed on injured reserve two days later.[37]

Dallas Cowboys

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On July 27, 2021, Hooker signed with the Dallas Cowboys.[38] Hooker was able to stay healthy and played in 15 games, recording 44 tackles and one interception.

On March 15, 2022, Hooker signed a two-year contract extension with the Cowboys.[39]

On August 4, 2023, Hooker signed a three-year contract extension with the Cowboys.[40]

NFL career statistics

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Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
GP GS Comb Solo Ast Sck PD Int Yds Avg Lng TD FF FR Yds TD
2017 IND 7 6 22 16 6 0.0 4 3 73 24.3 32 0 0 0 0 0
2018 IND 14 14 44 30 14 0.0 4 2 34 17.0 27 0 0 1 0 0
2019 IND 13 13 51 30 21 0.0 3 2 39 18.5 26 0 0 1 3 0
2020 IND 2 2 7 5 2 0.0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2021 DAL 15 3 44 30 14 0.0 2 1 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2022 DAL 16 6 62 44 18 0.0 3 3 29 9.7 26 0 0 1 38 1
2023 DAL 12 12 43 23 20 0.0 2 1 0 0.0 0 0 1 0 0 0
Career 79 56 273 178 95 0.0 18 12 175 17.4 32 0 1 3 41 1

References

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  1. ^ White, Mike (May 5, 2013). "High school notebook: New Castle junior recruited for both basketball, football". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved October 18, 2024.
  2. ^ White, Mike (June 28, 2014). "Male Athlete of the Year: In basketball or football, Malik Hooker was the man". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved October 18, 2024.
  3. ^ https://n.rivals.com/content/athletes/malik-hooker-13084?view=pv
  4. ^ White, Mike (September 23, 2016). "Mike White's Xtra Points: When Malik Hooker wowed Urban Meyer ... in basketball". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved October 18, 2024.
  5. ^ Landis, Bill (August 13, 2016). "Is Malik Hooker next to win a starting job? 5 things to know about Ohio State's safety". cleveland.com. Retrieved October 18, 2024.
  6. ^ Tom Archdeacon: Mother, son make quite an impression in OSU opener
  7. ^ Wasserman, Ari (September 4, 2016). "Malik Hooker was never actually going to leave Ohio State: The real story of the rising Buckeyes safety". cleveland.com. Retrieved October 18, 2024.
  8. ^ "2016 Big Ten Individual Award Winners" (PDF). www.grfx.cstv.com. Big Ten Conference. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 29, 2016. Retrieved November 30, 2016.
  9. ^ Bromberg, Nick (January 2, 2017). "Ohio State DB Malik Hooker entering NFL draft". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved October 18, 2024.
  10. ^ Bennett, Brian (February 3, 2017). "Ex-Buckeye Hooker to miss combine (surgery)". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 18, 2024.
  11. ^ "*Malik Hooker, DS #1 FS, Ohio State". nfldraftscout.com. Retrieved May 18, 2017.
  12. ^ Chris Burke (April 24, 2017). "2017 NFL draft rankings: Top prospects by position". si.com. Retrieved May 18, 2017.
  13. ^ Jeff Legwold (April 22, 2017). "Ranking 2017 Draft's Top 100 Players". ESPN.com. Retrieved May 18, 2017.
  14. ^ "Top 32 Prospects of the 2017 NFL Draft". profootballfocus.com. Retrieved May 18, 2017.
  15. ^ Mike Mayock (April 12, 2017). "Mike Mayock's 2017 NFL Draft position rankings 3.0". NFL.com. Retrieved May 18, 2017.
  16. ^ Bucky Brooks (April 25, 2017). "Bucky Brooks' top 5 2017 NFL Draft prospects by position 3.0". NFL.com. Retrieved May 18, 2017.
  17. ^ "NFL Draft Profile: Malik Hooker". NFL.com. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
  18. ^ "Malik Hooker 2017 NFL Draft Profile". ESPN. Retrieved November 10, 2022.
  19. ^ Bowen, Kevin (April 28, 2017). "Colts Draft Ohio State Safety Malik Hooker In First Round". Colts.com. Archived from the original on September 18, 2017. Retrieved April 29, 2017.
  20. ^ "2017 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
  21. ^ "Spotrac.com: Malik Hooker contract". spotrac.com. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
  22. ^ Wells, Mike (September 2, 2017). "Colts first-rounder Malik Hooker heads into season playing catch-up". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
  23. ^ Holder, Stephen (September 7, 2017). "Insider: Breaking down the Colts' depth chart". indystar.com. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
  24. ^ a b c d "NFL Player stats: Malik Hooker (2017)". NFL.com. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
  25. ^ Rotowire (September 15, 2017). "Colts' Darius Butler: Will sit on Sunday". cbssports.com. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
  26. ^ "Arizona Cardinals at Indianapolis Colts - September 17th, 2017". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 14, 2017.
  27. ^ Shook, Nick (October 22, 2017). "Malik Hooker suffers torn MCL, ACL in loss to Jaguars". NFL.com. Archived from the original on October 24, 2017.
  28. ^ "Colts Make Practice Squad Moves; Place Malik Hooker On IR". Colts.com. October 24, 2017. Archived from the original on November 7, 2017.
  29. ^ "NFL Player stats: Malik Hooker (career)". NFL.com. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
  30. ^ "Bengals rally late to spoil Luck's return with 34-23 win". ESPN. September 9, 2018. Retrieved September 8, 2019.
  31. ^ "Myers kicks Jets-record 7 FGs in 42-34 win over Colts". ESPN. October 14, 2018. Retrieved September 8, 2019.
  32. ^ "Luck keeps Colts in playoff hunt with 28-27 win over Giants". ESPN. December 23, 2018. Retrieved September 8, 2019.
  33. ^ "Luck has 2 TDs to lead Colts over Texans 21-7 in wild card". ESPN. January 6, 2019. Retrieved September 8, 2019.
  34. ^ "Chiefs roll past Colts 31-13 to reach AFC title game". ESPN. January 6, 2019. Retrieved September 8, 2019.
  35. ^ "Ekeler scores 3 TDs in Chargers 30-24 OT win over Colts". ESPN. September 8, 2019. Retrieved September 8, 2019.
  36. ^ "Malik Hooker Stats". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved April 17, 2020.
  37. ^ "Roster Moves: S Ibraheim Campbell & CB Tremon Smith Elevated To Active Roster; WR Parris Campbell & S Malik Hooker Placed On IR; TEs Hale Hentges & Ethan Wolf Signed To Practice Squad". Colts.com. September 22, 2020.
  38. ^ Phillips, Rob (July 27, 2021). "Cowboys Sign Malik Hooker; OT Moved To IR". DallasCowboys.com.
  39. ^ Helman, David (March 15, 2022). "Malik Hooker Agrees To Terms On New Contract". DallasCowboys.com.
  40. ^ DeArdo, Bryan (August 4, 2023). "Cowboys, Malik Hooker agree to three-year extension worth up to $24 million, per report". CBSSports.com.
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