Titans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins is heading into his 12th NFL season and playing for his third NFL team, and he says he hasn’t seen much talent in the wide receiver room like they have in Tennessee.
“I think this is one of the best wide receiver groups I’ve had the chance to play with on paper,” Hopkins said, via Jim Wyatt of TennesseeTitans.com. “Obviously, I could come up here and say a bunch, but we haven’t played a game yet. So, we’ll see how it goes once we hit the field. [We’re] just taking it day by day. Tyler Boyd has been in this program for a while. A lot of us are still learning how things go. Just coming out practicing.”
Hopkins is likely to start alongside Calvin Ridley and Tyler Boyd, and he recently talked up the potential of 2022 first-round pick Treylon Burks. Hopkins likes the teammates he has, but he wants to show that he’s the clear No. 1 option.
“I am always competing,” Hopkins said. “Any time we get anyone who is a No.1 receiver, my mindset is to go out and outcompete them, outdo them. I’ve always had that mindset, Kobe Bryant being my favorite athlete of all time. Any time I get a chance to compete against anyone I am trying to outcompete them, trying to outdo them. And that’s only going to make the team better.”
Hopkins had a solid season last year, with 75 catches for 1,057 yards and seven touchdowns. He turns 32 next month, but he wants to show that he’s still the top receiver in a good group in Tennessee.