The 2021 season did not go the way DeAndre Hopkins wanted.
When he missed three games with a bad hamstring (and was seriously hampered in a fourth because of it), that kept the veteran wide receiver out for more games than he had missed in his entire career up until that point. Then when he came back he ended up hurting his MCL bad enough that it ended his season, forcing knee surgery. He played in only 10 games in the end, and while he was on pace for a career-high for touchdowns (eight), the Cardinals’ balanced offense left him with only 42 catches for 572 yards, numbers lower than he was used to.
Still, when the players voted for the NFL Top 100, Hop was still on their mind. He ended up at No. 37 for 2022, the fourth Cardinal on the list — joining Kyler Murray, Budda Baker and James Conner.
It was, understandably, Hopkins’ lowest ranking in five years. He was No. 8 in 2021 (after his first season with the Cardinals), No. 8 in 2020, No. 11 in 2019 and No. 13 in 2018. His only other ranking since coming into the league in 2013 was No. 19 in 2016.
It’ll be interesting to see what happens in 2023; Voting occurs in early December and Hopkins will have missed the first six games with his suspension. Regardless, the Cardinals know they will have one of the best wideouts in the league when he returns to the field in Week 7.