Houston Texans: DeAndre Hopkins is the best receiver in the NFL
Houston Texans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins is universally viewed as one of the best receivers in the league but he was ranked as the third-best receiver in the league behind Antonio Brown and Julio Jones in the NFL 100 list after having one of the most dominant seasons in 2018.
Houston Texans’ Pro Bowl wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins does not have the ego of the normal superstar wide receiver. His life off the field and his personality are not as public as other receivers in the league. His lack of media attention could play a role in him being snubbed once again as the best receiver in the league.
“Nuk” was ranked outside of the top 10 in the NFL top 100, and deserved better as alluded earlier. However, being looked over has become a norm for Hopkins since entering the league as the 27th overall pick in 2013. It seems Hopkins has always had less press than his peers. Julio Jones finishing #9 and Antonio Brown finishing ar #7 in the NFL Top 100.
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Granted this is not a knock against them and what they accomplished in 2018, but Hopkins arguably had a better season than both of them with less help. Up to this point, “AB” and Julio have each had the same quarterback throwing to them for their entire careers. Brown has had 2-time Super Bowl champion Ben Roethlisberger throwing to him and Julio has former league MVP, Matt Ryan, throwing to him.
Hopkins has gone through a stable of quarterbacks, including Brock Osweiler, Tom Savage, Brandon Weeden, T.J. Yates, Matt Schaub, Brian Hoyer, Ryan Mallett, Case Keenum, and Taylor Heinicke. Hopkins is beginning to build a solid rapport with Deshaun Watson, but it was difficult to do with Hopkins not being a full participant in practice due to injuries.
Watson is constantly under duress as the Texans have allowed the most sacks over the last 2 years. Despite his quarterback facing constant pressure, Hopkins has been consistently unstoppable. Hopkins has tied for the most receiving touchdowns (24) and targets (337) since the 2017-2018 season, in addition to being second in receptions (211) and receiving yards (2950). He was also the only player in the league to rank in the top 2 in each of those categories, according to NFL.com.
Hopkins led the league in receiving touchdowns 2 seasons ago yet Nuk was still ranked behind both of them on the top 100 list of 2018. This past year, Hopkins had more receptions than each of them and didn’t even have a single dropped pass, but Hopkins is still ranked behind Brown and Jones on the top 100 this year.
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Hopkins has been letting his play on the field do the talking and said all the right things in the national media but he still is one of the most underrated receivers in the NFL. But either way, the notion that he is the third-best receiver at his position needs to end because he was without question the best receiver in the league in 2018.