Houston Texans receiver DeAndre Hopkins continues to get the respect and attention from his counterparts, and a recent NFL Top 100 ballot revealed as much.
According to Baltimore Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey, who shared his NFL Top 100 ballot on Twitter on Friday, Hopkins is the 11th-best player in the NFL.
Hopkins is the best receiver in the AFC. However, he is the third-best in the NFL as the Atlanta Falcons’ Julio Jones is ahead of him at No. 7 and the New Orleans Saints’ Michael Thomas is No. 2 overall.
Curiously, Humphrey did not face Thomas or Jones in 2019, but he did face Hopkins. The three-time All-Pro produced seven catches for 80 yards in a 41-7 loss at the Ravens in Week 11. Coincidentally, the tenor of that game may have changed if officials had called defensive pass interference on Humphrey as he aggressively guarded Hopkins and knocked away an intended touchdown in the end zone early in the first quarter.
What makes Hopkins’ case as the best receiver in the game the most compelling is that he didn’t have the luxury of a Pro Bowl quarterback consistently throwing him the ball until 2018 when Deshaun Watson completed his first full season healthy. Since then, Hopkins continues to make his case as arguably the best receiver in the game, and cornerbacks such as Humphrey are taking notice.
