10. DeAndre Hopkins: Football season is in the air. Guys who were drafted are doing everything to make the team and players along with coaches are getting ready for the 2021 season. I am as well! Welcome back to my annual project. This is the “Best in The Business” project where I countdown my ten best players in the NFL entering the upcoming football season. If this is your first time checking this out, welcome. A few guys are making their first appearance on this list. This first player I’m revealing is returning. DeAndre Hopkins makes his “Best in The Business” return at number ten. He’s also my second-best wide receiver entering the 2021 season.
Where do I start with him? He’s everything you could ever ask for in a wide receiver. He’s sure handed meaning he catches anything that’s thrown in his direction. DeAndre is one of those receivers with that “dog mentality”. He just won’t run outside to catch the deep ball. This guy has no problem running over the middle in traffic to make a catch. With DeAndre, you can say he’s covered well but you find yourself asking is he really covered? It doesn’t matter what coverage he’s facing; he finds a way to the football Even if it appears that he’s not open, he’s still going to get the ball because he can make every contested catch. As a defender when facing number 10, you must ask yourself one question: How can I separate him from the ball? DeAndre is a magnetic force when it comes to the ball. One thing he doesn’t receive praise for is being a physical receiver. There’s been times when he’s jammed off the line of scrimmage and he won’t let that throw him off What makes him special is how he focuses on his skillset as far as coming in and out of cuts.
Last season was his first year with the Arizona Cardinals and he made his presence felt. He was also on the receiving end of one of the top plays of the year. In a game against the Buffalo Bills, Kyler Murray heaved the ball up in the air for one more play and DeAndre caught it in between three Buffalo defenders for the win. The play is now known as “Hail Murray”. I can’t wait to see what Hopkins does in his second year with Arizona.
