In September, a reporter relayed to Houston Texans rookie receiver DeAndre Hopkins that Mel Kiper Jr. said the first-round pick was the best rookie in the league. Hopkins replied that Kiper Jr. also said he was going to be a bust.
Nearly one month removed from the end of the regular season, Kiper Jr. revisited his thoughts about each team's drafts, and something might have gotten lost in translation.
Kiper Jr. gave the Texans a B just after last year's draft and he kept that grade:
Summary: In April I wrote: "I thought the Texans would go with DeAndre Hopkins at No. 27, and they did. Andre Johnson will be 32 in Week 1 of this season, and soaked up an absurd 58 percent of their wide receiver targets in 2012. Hopkins gives them a legit No. 2." I think that stands up pretty well, the only problem being what happened with the guys throwing Johnson and Hopkins the ball. But Hopkins still finished with 802 yards receiving, second among all rookies. [D.J.] Swearinger was also a starter and, by the end of the season, a pretty good one at strong safety. Elsewhere, [tight end Ryan] Griffin caught some passes late, and undrafted Dennis Johnson got some run. Assuming Hopkins and Swearinger are long-term starters and potentially good players, this draft is pretty decent.
You can read the whole post, here
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I'd agree with Kiper Jr. that this was a solid draft for the same reasons. He mentioned Hopkins and Swearinger having the potential to be long-term starters and good players. I'd add Griffin to that mix. And there is a decent chance offensive lineman David Quessenberry is also a solid player once he gets on the field.
