New year, same rank.
Arizona Cardinals wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins saw zero movement on the NFL Top 100 list, coming in at No. 8 overall Saturday.
This season marks Year 2 for the wideout in the desert after he was traded from Houston in 2020.
.@DeAndreHopkins can catch everything.
: #NFLTop100 on @nflnetwork pic.twitter.com/UszSTgxgIv
— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) August 28, 2021
“D-Hop, he’s great, man,” safety Budda Baker said. “One of the best wide receivers in this league. [Kyler Murray] threw a post route in cover 3 [defense] and if anyone who knows football, you should never be able to throw a post route in cover 3. D-Hop just got up, caught it between two guys.”
And much like his time with the Texans, Hopkins’ play spoke for itself.
Hopkins led the team by a mile in receptions (115) and receiving yards (1,407) to go along with six touchdowns in 2020. He was second among NFL wide receivers in those categories, only trailing Buffalo Bills’ Stefon Diggs. It’s Hopkins with the upper hand in the top 100, however, as Diggs landed at No. 11 this season.
For his efforts, Hopkins was named to his fourth straight Pro Bowl.
“I don’t think I’ve reached my peak yet,” Hopkins said earlier this month after training camp. “Obviously playing with multiple quarterbacks, not really having a quarterback that I spent one or three years consistently with like a lot of others guys you would say reached their nirvana, so for me, it’s building chemistry with my quarterback and having a couple offseasons to build chemistry with.”
The Cardinals didn’t stand pat this offseason, either, adding another weapon to the offense in former Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green.
With defenses forced to cover both, it’s a pick-your-poison situation for defensive backs.
Joining Hopkins on the NFL Top 100 list are teammates J.J. Watt (No. 66), Murray (No. 39) and Baker (19).