I'm watching the NFL Network and they did it too. Mfers.

WR Hopkins

That's Rick Smith's brother at the table btw.

They're teaching Goodell how to pronounce Monti Te'o...

Deandre Hopkins, WR, Clemson.

Now the question is whether Smith will draft a second WR tomorrow.

Welp, I hope he brings it. And I hope Schaub figures out it's permissible to throw to him.

You'd think Southeast Dale Strahm was still making picks with a Clemson player.

No Cordarrelle, no Hunter, no Rogers, no Swope, no Woods, but they go Hopkins. Eh..at least he was on my draft board.

That would surprise me. Too many other needs and they took two last year. If so that wouldn't indicate a strong prognosis for Posey's recovery.

Kubiak is on record saying Posey was a middle of the year guy.

Why in the hell did we not trade with the Vikings?

Okay...at least they got a receiver but I'm just not sure about this guy.
Kinda underwhelmed...figured with all the Wr on the board we could swing a trade, but it takes two

I was underwhelmed by JJ too, so hopefully this will turn out like that

I like it. Give Schaub some reliable threats and playmakers was a big need.

Walter's football had him as third best WR in draft after Austin and Pattersonm, right ahead of Hunter and Allen.

DeAndre Hopkins*, WR, Clemson
Height: 6-1. Weight: 214. Arm: 33.38. Hand: 10.08.
40 Time: 4.57.
Projected Round (2014): 1-2.
4/23/13: A strong Combine and pro day have Hopkins as a potential top-25 pick. Scouts have told WalterFootball.com that he could be the third receiver off the board and there are a few playoff teams at the back of the first round that are high on him.

Hopkins started the 2012 season on fire. He became the No. 1 receiver for Clemson as Sammy Watkins started the year suspended and was slow to return to his freshman form. Hopkins picked up the slack and became the top weapon for Tajh Boyd. Hopkins had consistent production all season and torched LSU to end the year with 13 receptions for 191 yards and two scores. He made huge plays to help lead Clemson to a comeback victory.

Hopkins totaled 1,405 yards on 82 catches and 18 touchdowns in 2012. He burned defenses with his deep speed while showing reliable hands and good route running.

8/27/12: Hopkins is not as talented as Sammy Watkins, but Hopkins is a dangerous receiver in his own right. He was secondary receiver in 2011, but still caught 72 passes for 978 yards and five touchdowns. As a freshman in 2010 he hauled in 52 passes for 637 yards with four scores.

Hopkins should produce well over the next two years with Watkins drawing constant double teams. Overall, Hopkins has a nice skill set with speed, hands and route-running.

Even picking at 27, except for Austin they had their pick of all WRs who came out this year so obviously they got the WR they wanted.

Guessing they did not want to drop all the way to 52, but adding a 3 & 4 woulda been nice

That's what I'm wondering...a 2nd, 3rd, 4th, & 7th would have been sweet

Meh.. Hopefully it works out. Looks like a Kubiak wr to me

Just looking up more on our new WR, pretty positive.

SB Nation had him as their top WR on their board -

The Texans selected DeAndre Hopkins with the No. 27 overall pick in the 2013 NFL Draft.
___ selected Clemson wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins. Hopkins checks in at No. 21 on SB Nation's top 200 big board and is the top-ranked wide receiver.
Hopkins left school early after an outstanding junior season at Clemson that ended in a win over LSU at the Chick-fil-A Bowl. He caught 82 passes for just over 1,400 yards and 18 touchdowns in 2012, emerging as Tajh Boyd's go-to target with Sammy Watkins having injury issues and off-the-field problems. Throughout his final season with the Tigers, Hopkins proved to be a reliable route runner, and showed off outstanding body control, making the tough catches look easy.
The Texans need help at wide receiver as Andre Johnson isn't getting any younger and DeVier Posey was injured at the end of the season and will likely start the season on the sidelines. Hopkins is a talented wide receiver that can play opposite of Johnson and give Matt Schaub another reliable target downfield.
Hopkins is a good fit here and should be on the field in Week 1 catching passes from Schaub.
In SB Nation's scouting report on Hopkins, there are plenty of positives to take away from his game.
Hopkins consistently gets open because of the precise routes he runs. He's crisp in his motions and sets up his routes well with head fakes and other subtle movements to get open on the outside. While he doesn't have the jaw-dropping speed of some others in this class, his 4.41 time in the 40-yard dash fits how he plays on the field, as he's quick to get down the field and make plays.
When the ball is in the air, Hopkins' focus is top notch. He is in complete control of his body when attacking the football, and he high-points passes with regularity, so his ability to catch in traffic should translate to the next level. Hopkins' hands are among the best in the draft, and he's tough enough and physical enough to handle contact over the middle while maintaining his focus to bring in passes.
His body control will help him at all levels of the defense. While he is able to control himself along the sidelines and make tough catches, he also knows how to elude defenders in the open field after the catch and has the quick feet to do so. Vertical jump: 36 inches

Hopkins had three solid seasons at Clemson, improving his statistical output each year before emerging as a star in 2012. He caught at least 50 passes in every season at Clemson, while snagging nine touchdowns in his freshman and sophomore seasons combined.

I would have gone with the speed guy, Patterson, over Hopkins, but I have been wrong before and Rick haas been right. So I'll wait until August to see the what he can do.

That was a panic move by the Vikes, and I would bet was initiated by MiN.

They wouldn't offer us the same, since we were in the market for a WR.

Glass half full theory.

An impact player on offense, not on the offensive line would be a first for Smith and Kubiak. I'll take the wait and see approach too

Anyone with nickname Nuke can't be all bad. And compares to Reggie Wayne sounds ok, so yeah, gotta see it here with Texans.

last analysis for now from CBS sports

Nicknamed "Nuke", Hopkins isn't the biggest or fastest, but he plays quick, controlled and tough with reliable hands and focus to locate and pluck. He is a natural receiver with outstanding awareness for the position and has been productive wherever he's been, why should the NFL be any different?


Analysis
Strengths: Nice job catching the ball in stride and immediately creating after the catch with a very good sense of his surroundings, always appearing to have a plan. Deceiving body strength and powers through arm tackles, playing with toughness.

Strong hands with above average body control and focus to highpoint and attack the ball in the air. Tracks the deep ball and shows a second gear to separate at the final moment and finish. Very good short-area burst in his cuts with some beautiful stop-and-go moves and route acceleration to create room.


Good shoulder dip and footwork to set up his routes with very good feel, taking pride in his patterns. Handled quarterback Tajh Boyd's fastballs the past three years and uses his extension to reel-in tough grabs - high, low or outside, he goes and gets it. Uses his body well to box-out defenders and is fearless over the middle.


Changes gears well and knows how to turn on the jets, using his vision and awareness to create. Competitive and physical attitude and wants the ball more than anyone else on the field, never conceding the top receiver distinction to Watkins. Dedicated himself to the weight room this past off-season and it shows on the field. Much improved maturity took even the coaches by surprise with his goal oriented approach and work ethic. Super productive the past three seasons, leaving with school with numerous school and conference records.


Weaknesses: Lean torso with average height and frame with limited growth potential. Won't break a lot of tackles and has room to get stronger. Will have his share of focus drops, running before securing the grab at times.


Will attempt to corral the catch at times instead of using his palms. Lacks track speed and won't be able to leave NFL cornerbacks in his dust on foot speed alone. Showed steady progression each year, but still improving his consistency and is not yet a finished product.


Compares to: Reggie Wayne, WR, Indianapolis Colts - Like Wayne, Hopkins isn't the biggest or fastest, but he's able to manipulate his routes to create separation and is a reliable pass catcher with the body control, focus and competitive nature to finish. And like Wayne (30th pick in the 2001 NFL Draft), Hopkins will likely fall out of the top-25 picks and prove to be an excellent value in the late first or early second round

First Round complete:

1 Kansas City Eric Fisher (OT) C Michigan
2 Jacksonville Luke Joeckel (OT) Texas A&M
3 Miami Dion Jordan (OLB) Oregon
4 Philadelphia Lane Johnson (OT) Oklahoma
5 Detroit Ezekiel Ansah (DE) BYU
6 Cleveland Barkevious Mingo (DE) LSU
7 Arizona Jonathan Cooper (OG) UNC
8 St. Louis Tavon Austin (WR) W Virginia
9 NY Jets Dee Milliner (CB) Alabama
10 Tennessee Chance Warmack (OG) Alabama
11 San Diego D.J. Fluker (OT) Alabama
12 Oakland DJ Hayden (CB) Houston
13 NY Jets Sheldon Richardson (DT) Missouri
14 Carolina Star Lotulelei (DT) Utah
15 New Orleans Kenny Vaccaro (S) Texas
16 Buffalo EJ Manuel (QB) Florida St
17 Pittsburgh Jarvis Jones (OLB) Georgia
18 San Francisco Eric Reid (S) LSU
19 NY Giants Justin Pugh (OT) Syracuse
20 Chicago Kyle Long (OG) Oregon
21 Cincinnati Tyler Eifert (TE) Notre Dame
22 Atlanta Desmond Trufant (CB) Washington
23 Minnesota Sharrif Floyd (DT) Florida
24 Indianapolis Bjoern Werner (DE) Florida St
25 Minnesota Xavier Rhodes (CB) Florida St
26 Green Bay Datone Jones (DE) UCLA
27 Houston DeAndre Hopkins (WR) Clemson
28 Denver Sylvester Williams (DT) UNC
29 Minnesota Cordarrelle Patterson (WR) Tennessee
30 St. Louis Alec Ogletree (ILB) Georgia
31 Dallas Travis Frederick (C) Wisconsin
32 Baltimore Matt Elam (S) Florida

Monti Te'o tweeted that he was proud to be selected by the 49ers in the first round.

Or at least he should have tweeted that if he had a quality sense of humor. :p

A lot of people had Hopkins at the top of their board and the most starter-ready/ most polished WR in the draft. That's exactly what the Texans need right now. They"re in a SB push and need someone who can step in right now that can consistently catch the ball and produce. Yes, some of the other guys have more speed and maybe a higher upside, but they also have some Jacoby Jones to them too. This was a good, solid pick and I doubt they're done at WR this draft.

I watch a few College games but I have never pretended to know enough about College Football to project whether a guy from Texas or Morehouse St will be better. I watch no film and don't tune in to Senior Bowl practices or the combine on NFLN. So I tend to restrict my opinions to what position we select and how that fits with our roster and identity.

With that said, I like that we appeared to have our choice of WRs and wanted Hopkins above the rest. I have serious doubts about our ability to use a 2nd WR effectively, but at least now we will no if it was a WR corp talent deficit, lack of ability from Schaub, or a stubborness from Kubs. I hope it was #1 but I fear it was mostly #3 with the other two mixed in to varied degrees.

I felt getting a WR in the first was probably something they could have traded down for and still got value but the Texans were obviously in love with Hopkins and, with no Walter and no Posey, this was probably a need pick to start the season. Most WRs do not come into the NFL and star immediately ( AJ included), so this is as much a pick for the future as it is for now.

In DT Sylvester Williams (taken by the Broncos with the next pick) and ILB Kevin Minter, you see some of the talent they passed on to get Hopkins and with the haul the Patriots got from the Vikings at #29, (a 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 7th), you see what the Texans might have been able to do with a trade down.

Overall, this is the general Texans MO under Rick Smith is not gamble. Sit and wait your turn without gambling. I think the only time the Texans have seriously traded down was when they just didn't like the choices they saw in the second round. Hopefully, some help at DL, ILB, RT and FB/TE will still be around later for us to scoop up. With three picks on Friday, we should get more chances to cheer or disagree.

This is the conclusion I reached also. Like barrett I don't watch nearly enough college football or pay any real attention to the combine and the chatter so I don't have the seasoned and reasoned opinions on guys that a lot of you do. The Texans clearly had some attractive options in terms of trading down as well as other receivers that they rejected in favor of Hopkins. They obviously love him and that's good enough for me. The consensus seems to be that he's the most NFL ready receiver in the draft and that's plainly what the team needs.

I'm not sure how we can get on the Texans for not trading down when 1) we don't even know if they did or didn't try, and 2) we have no vision into their thought process or their draft board. It seemed to me like they took a long time to get the pick in so maybe they were fielding calls. Maybe nobody wanted to work a deal with them. Speculating on that is about as silly as mock drafts.

Of course the "most NFL ready player at that position" line was the same justification they gave for taking Kareem Jackson.

Just sayin'.

To summerize the pick, Hopkins was the most polished, complete receiver, with good size and speed, in the entire draft. He's gonna step in at the #2 and help this team win NOW. There are no holes in his game, which is rare for a three year player.

C. Patterson was the sexier pick, imo, but he's probably a few years away from being at Hopkins' current level. There is also a risk he(Patterson) would never develop, ala Jacoby Jones, past where he is now.

Very Solid Pick by the Texans. A player like "Nuk" to complement AJ is long overdue.

Very happy with Hopkins, he was the top pick on my board for us for awhile by that point but I thought they'd go with one of the Tennessee WEd, so I was pleasantly surprised.

This is an interesting tidbit from Peter King's most recent MMQB...

After looking back and seeing who got drafted between picks #22-#27, I'm glad the Texans didn't do that deal because I'm 99.999% certain they still would've drafted Hopkins.

http://tinyurl.com/cmuvnw9

I think you are right. They were locked into Hopkins.

The talks between the Texans and Rams that night didn't end there. Also according to Peter King in his story about the Rams in the issue of SI that came after the draft (not sure if it's online), the Texans turned down the deal when the Rams were on the clock at 22. So the Rams traded with the Falcons, down to 30.

When the Texans were up at 27, Jeff Fisher called Rick Smith and offered a 6th rounder (#198) to move up from 30. Smith wanted a 4th rounder (#113), so the Rams passed and the Texans took Hopkins.

If they'd moved down to 30 Hopkins may or may not have been there. The Vikings jumped way up from 52 to 29 to take WR Cordarelle Patterson.

Sometimes the best moves are the moves not made. And I agree that it looks like the Texans had Hopkins in their sites in the trade up talks.