Houston Texans: Five players who exceeded expectations
By Randy Gurzi
DeAndre Hopkins, Wide Receiver
A first round pick in 2013, DeAndre Hopkins started to really show signs of how good a receiver he could be during the 2014 season when he started opposite the Texans legendary receiver, Andre Johnson. After recording 76 receptions for 1,210 yards and six scores, Hopkins found himself the top receiver when Houston cut ties with Johnson, who wound up in Indy.
Most fans, analysts and coaches expected a good season out of DeAndre, but almost no one expected him to become one of the most consistent and feared receivers in all the NFL.
Hopkins finished with 111 catches, 1,521 yards and a franchise record 11 touchdown catches. His reception total was good for third all-time in Texans’ history and his total yardage landed him fourth on that same list.
The best part about Hopkins exploding like he did is that he is still just 23-years old. That’s not even mentioning the fact that he caught passes from four different starting quarterbacks for the second straight season.
If Houston can find a true starting quarterback, and keep him healthy, there’s no reason to think Hopkins can’t top his own numbers from 2015 and eventually find himself atop every Texans receiving statistic when his career is done.
Next: Finally a second pass rusher