Meet the Mizzou Freshman: Defensive End Daeden Hopkins' Ceiling, Fit with Tigers

Daeden Hopkins is a truly fascinating player.

Standing at 6'6" with plenty of room to add to his frame, the Missouri Tigers added a unique edge rusher to their already stacked position group. That might not be the best thing about Hopkins, however.

Being a Missouri native, Hopkins was huge in helping to build this 2025 class. Alongside four-star Missouri native offensive tackle Jack Lange and three-star linebacker Jason King, the three Missouri locals did what they could to stack up this incoming class of freshmen. It's safe to say they did that.

Here's a glance at the unique and versatile Daeden Hopkins.

Player Info

Height: 6-foot-6
Weight: 225 lbs.
Hometown: Hermann, Missouri
High School: Hermann

Recruiting

Consensus: 4-Star prospect
247Sports: No. 189 nationally, No. 21 position, No. 2 state
On3: No. 166 nationally, No. 14 position, No. 1 state
Rivals: No. 221 nationally, No. 31 position, No. 3 state
ESPN: Not ranked nationally, No. 4 position, No. 10 state

High school career

One thing that is frequently forgotten about when it comes to Hopkins as a high school prospect is his dual-position ability. He was also a productive tight end outside of just rushing the passer, finding success at both spots.

During his junior season, Hopkins recorded 78 tackles, 13 for loss, 16 sacks and four forced fumbles. They won their conference title this season as well, which came from Hopkins' work on both sides. As a tight end, he recorded 968 yards and 15 touchdowns in that season alone.

Hopkins earned all-first team selections from Central Missouri Media at both positions, while also being named to all-district and all-state teams.

Fit with the Tigers

Hopkins has plenty of refinement as a defensive end, especially for an incoming freshman. He has a deep bag of pass-rushing moves that allow him to get to the quarterback, along with the length and speed to help out in the run. His height creates some interesting leverage situations, some good and some bad, but that's something that can be taught and tightened up.

Not surprisingly, the biggest concern is his weight. He is now listed at 235 pounds, which is a 25-pound improvement from what he was listed as a recruit, but he still looks lean for his size. He will absolutely want to add a little more weight to his frame, but 25 pounds is a great start.

It's worth noting that as of now, Hopkins does have the size and speed to make the transition to tight end. That position has plenty of depth and it doesn't look like he would contribute there for quite a while, but that could happen if Missouri's coaching staff wanted it to.

Analysis

"Hopkins might be the most unique prospect in Drinkwitz's 2025 class. The Hermann, Mo native stands at 6-foot-6, 210-pounds. That's not the most common physical profile for a pass rusher, though it's becoming more common."
Missouri on SI reporter Michael Stamps

When will he play?

Playing immediately might not be in the cards for Hopkins, but he has through-the-roof potential that could get him on the field earlier than expected. A lot of it, like other incoming freshmen, will depend on adding weight.

Hopkins is in an interesting spot because of his frame. He's added weight since the end of his football season and now, which is a good sign, but he still comes off as quite slender for the defensive end spot. At the same time, he doesn't want to remove too much of that versatility that comes with his size.

Regardless, he will likely wait at least one season to play. It's not impossible that he plays minimally this year as a rotational player based on head coach Eli Drinkwitz's history of going deep into his defensive line depth, but he doesn't jump out as a player who's ready to play from Day 1.

Ceiling and Floor

Ceiling: Burns his redshirt and becomes a part of the defensive end rotation.

Floor: Struggles to see the field because of a lack of size, becomes a rotational piece for next season.