The Debacle With DeAndre Hopkins

DeAndre Hopkins is a top 5 wide receiver when healthy. A man with 5XL sized gloves and can simply catch the football. But there is a heavy crossroads that is going on in the NFL. What is the trade value for certain stars?

Brandin Cooks just went for a 5th and 6th round pick.

Elijah Moore went to the Browns and 74th overall so the Jets can have the 42nd overall pick.

So where does that leave Hopkins in a situation where the Cardinals have a shortage of wide receivers and with their quarterback recovering from an ACL tear and the Cardinals are looking to rebuild? With free agency over and draft time getting closer the Cardinals need to trade this pick to free up cap space and overall they need to draft players because they have so many needs.

Then where does this leave the New England Patriots.

Keep in mind, the Patriots outside of Julien Edelman haven’t drafted and developed elite or great wide receivers in the Bill Belichick era. Jakobi Myers is gone to the Raiders and the weapons for Mac Jones outside the running backs looks thinner than we all think.

Kendrick Bourne – 16 games, 35 catches for 434 yards, 1 touchdown

DeVante Parker – 13 games, 31 catches for 539 yards, 3 touchdowns

Hunter Henry – 17 games, 41 catches for 509 yards, 2 touchdowns

Then with the addition –

Juju Smith-Schuster – 16 games, 78 catches for 933 yards, 3 touchdowns

Mike Gesicki – 17 games, 32 catches for 362 yards, 5 touchdowns

Juju and Gesicki are nice adds on the offense, but this team does not have a WR1. Juju trying to be that number in Pittsburgh did not work. Parker and Bourne aren’t at that level either. And Hunter Henry is good but he is not going to be close to being elite. Gesicki looked at one point a top five tight end in the league. But right now we don’t know what he is.

Once again there are two good tight ends that will be fighting for catches and no true WR1 on this team. Which given history, why not add DeAndre Hopkins to this team?

Here is where it gets dicey. First off, the competition. There are a few teams in on D-Hop. The biggest concerns are the Chiefs who are in playoff contention without him, and division rival Bills. But remember, Belichick doesn’t overpay because someone else wants him. Jets, Bills, or Dolphins Coach Belichick is very disciplined when it comes to making guys leave. How many times has it been for late round picks if that just so he can get a guy out? And during the dynasty years it has worked.

Secondly, the price for the Cardinals is simply too high at the moment. At first they thought with a bad wide receiver draft class and free agent market rather poor, they thought Hopkins could be a second rounder and change easily. Now the compensation sounds like a 2023 2nd and 3rd round picks. After a healthy Brandin Cooks traded for peanuts and Elijah Moore traded for a pick swap, Hopkins that hasn’t been on the field in a desirable amount of games is having a market a little dried up. Just because the Chiefs and Bills are the favorites, doesn’t mean the market value should drastically change. And will Belichick overpay? Never. He will never overpay.

Verdict –

Bill Belichick has his offensive coordinator, Mac Jones in year three, and his defense looks solid even with Devin McCourty retiring. But right now it is a Bills division to lose with the Dolphins and Jets not too far behind pending Tua’s health and Aaron Rodgers going to Jersey. Want to ramp it up and take the division where it belongs? Second round pick for D-Hop and go no more. Then it comes all down to coaching and gametime decisions on the field. Come on Bill. Hurry it up.