Deandre Hopkins is one of the NFL’s top players, known for reaching many career milestones in his young career. He achieved the title of NFL’s youngest player to achieve 200 career receptions and 3,000 career receiving yards. Born with a good height and body stats, Hopkins is the perfect outside receiver. He makes head fakes and quick moves that can deceive any defensive back. Hopkins has strong hands, allowing him to protect the ball from defenders.
Who is Deandre Hopkins
DeAndre Rashaun Hopkins, also known as “Nuuuk,” was born on June 6, 1992, in Central, South Carolina. Hopkins was raised by his mother Sabrina Greenlee after his father Harris Steve Hopkins died in a car accident. Hopkins has a brother, Marcus Greenlee, and two sisters, Kesha Smith and Shanterria Cobb. Hopkins’ uncle, Terry Smith, played wide receiver at Clemson and had a brief professional career with the Indianapolis Colts. He was later shot by the police after stabbing his estranged wife.
Hopkins attended D. W. Daniel High School where he played basketball, track and field, and football. He played guard and point guard positions and scored 1,453 points for the D.W. Daniel Lions basketball team. On the football field, Hopkins finished with 28 interceptions and 5 touchdowns on defense and 57 receptions for 1,266 yards and 18 touchdowns on offense.
Hopkins enrolled in Clemson University, where he played for the Clemson Tigers football team from 2010 to 2012. As a true freshman, Hopkins recorded 52 receptions for 637 yards and 4 touchdowns, leading his team as the top receiver. He made one of the best receiving seasons in the history of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) in his junior year, with his school-record 18 touchdowns and ACC-best 1,405 yards on 82 catches, earning him the First Team All-Conference honors. On January 10, 2013, Hopkins left Clemson to join the NFL draft, leaving with a career record of 3,020 receiving yards and 27 career touchdowns.
Deandre Hopkins career
The Houston Texans selected DeAndre Hopkins in the first round (27th overall pick) of the 2013 NFL Draft. In his rookie season, Hopkins ended with 52 receptions for 802 receiving yards and 2 touchdowns, winning the NFL’s All-Rookie Team for the 2013 season.
In the 2017 season, Hopkins was out of the football arena in the 17th week due to a knee injury. However, he won the First-Team All-Pro for the season and led the league in receiving touchdowns. Hopkins was ranked 13th by his fellow players on NFL’s Top 100 Players for 2018. In the 2018 season, he gained his third Pro Bowl and second straight first-team All-Pro, with a career-high of 115 catches for 1,572 receiving yards and no drops in the regular season.
During the Texans’ 21-7 loss to the Colts, Hopkins suffered a third-grade AC joint sprain in his right shoulder. Though he tried to return to the field, he may be off for the entire 2019 season to get healthy. Despite this, he was able to record 5 receptions for 37 yards. Hopkins’ career stats from 2013 to 2018 show that he has 528 total receptions for 7,437 receiving yards and 47 touchdowns.