Hooper Hears Name CalledHooper Hears Name Called
Football

Hooper Hears Name Called

CHICAGO – Austin Hooper was selected by the Atlanta Falcons in the third round of the NFL Draft. Hooper was the 81st overall pick and second tight end off the board.

"This is a moment you can't really put into words," said Hooper. "A lot of work went into this, and none of it would have been possible without everyone at Stanford."

Hooper, a junior, continues Stanford’s NFL tradition of tight ends, joining recent draft picks Zach Ertz, Levine Toilolo, Coby Fleener, Jim Dray and Alex Smith.

A psychology major from San Ramon, California, Hooper was a Mackey Award finalist and was named to the AP All-America third team, All-Pac-12 first team and Pac-12 All-Academic honorable mention.

In 2015, Hooper played in 14 games and caught 34 passes for 438 yards and six touchdowns, averaging 12.9 yards per reception. He grabbed a team-high five catches for 45 yards at Northwestern, caught four against USC and Oregon, and three vs. UCLA, Washington, Colorado, Notre Dame and Iowa -- the latter in the Rose Bowl Game.

Hooper also blocked an extra point against USC in the Pac-12 Championship Game.

As a sophomore, Hooper was a Scout Freshman All-America first-team choice and All-Pac-12 second team selection. Named to the John Mackey Award midseason watch list, he played in 13 games with 10 starts. Hooper finished with 40 catches for 499 yards and two touchdowns while averaging 12.5 yard per grab.

He had a season-high five catches at Oregon and against Maryland in the Foster Farms Bowl, accounting for 71 yards in the latter. Hooper hauled in four receptions against UC Davis, USC and Army, and three against Washington, Arizona State and Oregon State, Cal and UCLA.