NASHVILLE, Tenn. – DeAndre Hopkins excels at catching the football at its highest point, elevating above cornerbacks and using his strength and body control to gain position.
A former high school basketball player and Clemson star, the Tennessee Titans’ veteran wide receiver is the master of rising above defenders for the dramatic catch and is dangerous after the catch even though his stopwatch speed is ordinary. He’s one of the strongest wide receivers in the NFL.
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“You talk about contested catches, he’s one of the best, if not, the best in the league,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said. “He does a really good job even though he doesn’t have to separate much because he has such a great catch radius and he’s competitive at the catchpoint. He’s also been an explosive, dynamic player in this league for a very long time.
“Tough matchup. He’s their No. 1 guy. A friendly target for a young quarterback to throw to. Hopkins has made a ton of plays for them. You see the speed down the field, you see the catch radius. He’s having a great year.”
Hopkins was in a controversial trade from the Texans that didn’t net them much beyond a second-round draft pick and former All-Pro running back David Johnson in 2020 as he was sent to the Arizona Cardinals
He played seven seasons for the Texans, catching 632 passes for 8,602 yards and 54 touchdowns. He was named All-Pro four times and to the Pro Bowl four times with the AFC South franchise.
In his one game against his former team, Hopkins caught seven passes for 53 yards and a touchdown in a 31-5 win.
Hopkins, who was not pursued by the Texans as a free agent and did not actively seek a reunion despite false rumors to the contrary, per multiple sources, downplayed any emotions surrounding this matchup. He said there are no hard feelings.
“Man, I’ve been through a lot of real scenarios in life that me being traded to another NFL team is not a negative,” Hopkins told Tennessee reporters. “I’m grateful for everything. The city, the organization, what they did for me and my family, it’s a lot of love. There’s still a lot of support, a lot of people still upset about me not being there. I understand, but it’s still a lot of love there.
Hopkins, 31, leads the Titans with 57 catches for 898 yards and six touchdowns.
“He’s very well-known, but, at the same time, you prepare like he’s another receiver,” said Texans cornerback Derek Stingley Jr., who has four interceptions. “I’m not saying he’s another receiver, but you can’t go into it like you want to all of a sudden be intense. You’ve got to treat everybody the same. It’s cool, D-Hop, but going into the game you’ve got to be like it’s a normal game and ready to play.”
In seven games playing with strong-armed rookie quarterback Will Levis, he has 30 catches for 522 yards and six touchdowns. He had seven catches for 124 yards and a touchdown in a win over the Miami Dolphins last Monday night.
“He’s probably one of the best at-the-point ball catchers in the league, just contested catches, probably some of the best hands, we’ve all seen him make some of those ridiculous catches,” said Texans defensive coordinator Matt Burke, who was on the Cardinals coaching staff when Hopkins was in Arizona. “I mentioned this maybe with Mike Evans way back, like, the frustrating thing is you can be in good coverage and you can be on a guy and you feel like, ‘Oh, we got it,’ and he can still go make a play, So, that’s the challenge of not just covering him, but winning at the point of attack.
“You see with their offense, they’re going to take shots to him, they’re trying to get him the ball in a lot of different ways, so it doesn’t necessarily matter. Like, you can think you’re in good coverage and he can still win. So that, to me, is the challenge of battling at the catchpoint, because that’s probably where he’s greatest, of just [having] good hands, going up to get it. We’ve got to cover him obviously and be tight on him, and then we’ve got to win at the catchpoint.”
Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com
