Vrabel: Houston's Hopkins 'Almost Like a Pass Rusher'

Texans wide receiver uses his hands to fight off defenders as well as he does to catch footballs

NASHVILLE – DeAndre Hopkins gets his hands on more balls thrown by quarterbacks than most players in the NFL.

Before he does, though, the Houston Texans wide receiver uses those hands in ways more closely associated with disrupting the pass game.

“There’s a lot of skill involved,” Tennessee Titans coach Mike Vrabel said Wednesday. “He does a great job with his hands – putting them on defenders’ arms and catching the wrist. I mean, he’s almost like a pass rusher in that regard.”

Vrabel spent four seasons as an assistant coach with the Texans and saw first-hand the seventh-year wide receiver’s ability to fight off or fight through defenders who tried to get physical with him.

At 6-foot-1, 212 pounds, Hopkins has a rare combination of size, speed and skill that has earned him three Pro Bowl invitations, two All-Pro honors and has him on pace to be his team’s leading pass catcher for the sixth consecutive season. It also has made him a difficult player for the Titans to contain in their bi-annual matchups with the Texans.

A first-round pick (27 overall) out of Clemson in 2013, Hopkins has averaged just shy of 100 yards per game in 12 all-time meetings with Tennessee. He has 1,194 yards on 77 catches (6.4 per game) with seven touchdowns. Six times (once each season) he has topped 100 yards receiving in a single game, including his career-high 238 yards (on nine catches) on Nov. 30, 2014.

“He understands that guys are going to try to press him and try to disrupt routes, and I think he does a great job of fending guys off and still getting open and making plays when his quarterback scrambles,” Titans safety Kevin Byard said. “So, he’s pretty good. … I think he’s a great receiver. He runs really good routes. I think he has probably [some of], if not the best hands in the NFL.”

Hopkins comes into Sunday’s contest at Nissan Stadium second in the NFL in receptions (93), sixth in receiving yards (1,023) and tied for eighth in receiving touchdowns (eight). Last Sunday, he caught seven passes for 120 yards and one touchdown in a loss to Denver – a performance that was nothing new to anyone who has watched him throughout his career.

“You watch and you see him tie up people when they’re trying to jam him and put their hands on him,” Vrabel said. “… I would say that his play strength is very good to be able to fight through contact, not only during the route but also when the ball gets there.”