DeAndre Hopkins ranked as 4th most featured receiver in NFL

Jun 14, 2016; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Texans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins (10) answers question from the media following Houston Texans minicamp at NRG Stadium in Houston, TX. Mandatory Credit: Erik Williams-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 14, 2016; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Texans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins (10) answers question from the media following Houston Texans minicamp at NRG Stadium in Houston, TX. Mandatory Credit: Erik Williams-USA TODAY Sports /
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ESPN looked at the wide receivers who were the biggest focal points of their offense in 2015 and the Houston Texans DeAndre Hopkins came in fourth

Sheil Kapadia of ESPN recently looked at the wide receivers who were the biggest factor for their respective teams and unsurprisingly the list was topped by Antonio Brown of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Julio Jones of the Atlanta Falcons.

Also not surprising was the fact that DeAndre Hopkins of the Houston Texans made the list as well, coming in fourth just behind Brown, Jones and Alshon Jeffery of the Chicago Bears.

Kapadia explained that while Hopkins’ accounted for 31.6 percent of his team’s offense, he also was one of the hardest working wide outs as he was incredibly active even when he wasn’t getting the ball. By year’s end, Hopkins had run more routes than any other receiver.

"4. DeAndre Hopkins (31.6 percent) — No wide receiver ran more routes (651) than Hopkins in 2015. He has shown time and again that he doesn’t need to be open to make plays. Hopkins is at his best making contested catches and coming down with balls that seem uncatchable. Making plays after the catch, however, was not his forte. Hopkins averaged just 1.77 yards in that category, which ranked last among 79 qualifying receivers. This summer will be all about getting his timing right with new Houston Texans quarterback Brock Osweiler."

Look for Hopkins to find even more open space to operate in 2016 as the team added some serious talent around him in the past two drafts with Jaelen Strong, Will Fuller and Braxton Miller. They also head into 2016 with an improvement at quarterback and running back.

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The Texans signed Brock Osweiler away from the Denver Broncos and Lamar Miller from the Miami Dolphins. Both those players were widely believed to be the best available players at their respective position in free agency this offseason.