Hooper earns minicamp invitations from Packers, Bills

NATCHITOCHES – William Hooper is going to earn quite a few frequent-flyer miles in a short period of time.

The former All-Southland Conference cornerback at Northwestern State’s road to the NFL begins in earnest later this week when he takes part in a free-agent minicamp with the Green Bay Packers.

The visit and workouts in Titletown precede another camp invite for Hooper, who will work out with the Buffalo Bills from May 11-14.

“It is pretty cool to have two different teams to be able to compete for a spot,” Hooper said.

A second-team All-Southland selection as a senior, Hooper broke up a team-best 13 passes and totaled 29 tackles in 11 games. He added a blocked extra point against Grambling in Week 2. Hooper’s 1.2 passes defensed per game ranked him 25th nationally in the FCS.

For his career, Hooper broke up 19 passes, intercepted three, had two sacks, a forced fumble and 105 total tackles. That versatility opened eyes and led to the twin opportunities for the Shoemaker (Texas) High School product, who originally hails from Montgomery, Alabama.

“They (the Packers and Bills) both reached out to my agent,” Hooper said. “I had talked to both teams before the draft and both were looking at me as a late-round guy. They like how I play off coverage, how I tackle and what I can bring on special teams.”

As a fifth-year senior, Hooper played alongside several former teammates who have signed undrafted free agent contracts or earned rookie minicamp invitations.

That network proved valuable as he navigated the post-draft world.

“I have talked to KP (Kendrick Price), Jazz (Ferguson), Hubb (Jonathan Hubbard), (Donovan) Duvernay and J Lane (Jeremy Lane),” he said. “It gave me an idea of what to look for and expect. We are all in different situations and experienced different teams, but it helped a lot more than going in blind with no one to talk to.”