5. Deandre Hopkins– Welcome back and if you’re just joining us, welcome! The first half of our annual ten best players list is in the books and the much awaited top five is here. The wide receiver debate has become an interesting topic over the last two seasons. You hear Antonio Brown’s name of course and for obvious reasons considering how consistent he’s been over the last six seasons. Julio Jones gets some love as does Odell Beckham. Then, you have a guy in Houston who quietly goes about his business week in and out. He made his debut last year, a year later, he’s back! DeAndre Hopkins kicks off my top five on the list and my top ranked wide receiver entering the 2019 season.

How special of a football player has he been? I love his football IQ and his ball skills. He catches everything no matter what’s thrown at him and he always wants to make a big play. His 50/50 ball mentality is extraordinary, when the ball is in the air, he knows he can come away with it. Every time I watch the Houston Texans on offense, I specifically watch his positioning. If the football is in a bad place or you don’t think anybody can get it, he somehow finds a way to catch the ball which is unbelievable to watch. He’s a strong and physical receiver that doesn’t shy away from contact because if you try to jam him, he uses it to his advantage, and he’ll keep running. He’s fluid in his release off the line, he can run the entire route tree consistently and he has excellent body control to keep himself in bounds.

When I say he catches everything, I mean it. He went the entire 2018 season without dropping a single pass. What’s made him such a special player is seeing how many quarterbacks the Houston Texans have had over the years, yet he’s still been able to be consistent with posting productive numbers.