INDIANAPOLIS —Malik Hooker is on the rise.
The Indianapolis Colts safety on Wednesday made his first appearance on Pro Football Focus' "Race for Rookie of the Year" list, a compilation of the organization's top candidates for the award.
Hooker — the only AFC South Division candidate on the list this week — has earned an overall grade of 82.7 so far through three games from PFF, putting him 10th among all league rookies, and third among all rookie safeties (the New York Jets' Jamal Adams has an 84.5 grade, while the Green Bay Packers' Josh Jones is at 84.8).
Here's what PFF's William Moy wrote about Hooker's season so far (read the entire piece by clicking here):
*10. Malik Hooker, S, Indianapolis Colts
PFF Grade: 82.7
Elite Stat: Hooker ranks sixth among all safeties who've played at least 100 coverage snaps by allowing just 0.19 yards per coverage snap.
Hooker was a blanket in coverage last season for Ohio State and the Colts' first round pick has been just that so far through the first three games of the season. The 15th overall pick ranks 10th among safeties with an 84.4 coverage grade and he's got more interceptions so far this season (two) than he's allowed catches into his coverage (one).
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Hooker has notched one interception each the past two weeks, both in his first two career starts, and seems to be establishing himself well within a Colts secondary that is on the rise.
With top cornerback Vontae Davis expected to return to the lineup this Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks after missing the first three games of the season due to a groin injury, added on top of the team's other starting cornerback, Rashaan Melvin, who had two interceptions on Sunday against the Cleveland Browns, as well as the veteran Darius Butler and second-year Notre Dame product Matthias Farley also at safety, Hooker is excited to see what the unit can do moving forward.
"Oh, it's definitely going to be scary, because then you just never know what you're going to get from every guy," Hooker said. "Because we've got a lot of playmakers in the secondary, obviously, as you've seen (Sunday). (Rashaan) Melvin making a lot of big plays coming down the stretch got us rolling, so I feel like that's capable of happening from everybody."
