BIOGRAPHY
Austin Manuel Hooper was born on October 29, 1994, in San Ramon, California. He is a tight end in the National Football League.
During high school, Hooper played football as a quarterback during his freshman year. In his senior year, he played as a defensive end recording 63 solo tackles and 27 assists, with an average of 3.3 tackles in each game.
During his freshman season in 2013, Hooper played in all 13 games. He finished the season with 40 receptions for 499 yards and two touchdowns. As a sophomore in 2015, Hooper had 34 receptions for 438 yards for six touchdowns, including a career-best 79 yards and a touchdown in an upset of then #6 USC. He was a finalist for the John Mackey Award, and First-team All-Pac-12.
On January 4, 2016, it was announced that Hooper would enter the 2016 NFL Draft, forfeiting his last two years of eligibility. He was one of 15 tight ends to receive an invitation to the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, Indiana. He had an overall impressive performance.
The Atlanta Falcons selected Hooper in the third round (81st overall) of the 2016 NFL Draft. He made his professional regular-season debut in the Atlanta Falcons' season-opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and made the first catch of his career on a 14-yard pass by Matt Ryan in the third quarter. During a Week 8 matchup against the Green Bay Packers, Hooper earned his first career start and had a season-high five receptions for 41 receiving yards during a 33–32 victory. He finished his only season under offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan in the 2016 season with 19 receptions for 271 receiving yards and three touchdowns in three starts and 14 games.
In 2017, he started the Atlanta Falcons' season-opener at the Chicago Bears and made two receptions for a career-high 128 receiving yards and caught a career-long 88-yard touchdown reception thrown by quarterback Matt Ryan in Atlanta's 23–17 victory.
Hooper remained as the Falcons' starting tight end going into the 2018 season. He finished the season with 71 receptions for 660 yards and four touchdowns. On January 15, 2019, Hooper was named to his first Pro Bowl.
On March 22, 2023, Hooper signed with the Las Vegas Raiders.
