With Andre Johnsonskipping OTAs, second-year pro DeAndre Hopkins is the Houston Texans' de facto No. 1 receiver at the moment.
Hopkins might be the most talented pass-catcher during the Texans' early practices, but he knows there is a long way to go to make the leap.
"I'm nowhere close to where I want to be," Hopkins said on Wednesday, per the team's official website. "Not even close. I have a lot of things I need to work on and I'm doing that this offseason."
Coming off an up-and-down rookie season (common for most first-year receivers), Hopkins now has to learn a new offense all over again.
"It's not been easy; I'm not going to lie," Hopkins said. "It's a new playbook, you have to refocus, you have to do everything you did your rookie year all over again, but I feel like I know how to prepare better than last year, just going out and learning from Andre (Johnson) and doing things like that, and I feel like I'm becoming a better player overall."
The big-bodied Hopkins displayed tremendous upside in his rookie season. With Johnson's future in Houston being questioned, Hopkins could be leaned on heavily in 2014. Of course, the man throwing the ball in Houston will have a lot to say about the receiver's ultimate production.
The latest "Around The League Podcast" breaks down the news and discusses players who could be summertime trade targets.
