Rams Almost Drafted DeAndre Hopkins?

[Corbin]

https://www.si.com/nfl/rams/.amp/news/los-angeles-rams-deandre-hopkins-draft-2013-st-louis-tavon-austin-combine-arizona-cardinals

MAR 8, 2023 4:51 PM EST

Rams Almost Drafted DeAndre Hopkins?​

The future remains uncertain for Arizona Cardinals receiver DeAndre Hopkins, who has been the subject of recent trade rumors.
BY ZACH DIMMITT

In this story:​

LOS ANGELES RAMS
Arizona Cardinals star receiver DeAndre Hopkins likely won't be in the NFC West after this offseason to face the Los Angeles Rams,as trade rumors that he's admitted to hearing have continued to run amuck.
But Hopkins could've had his NFL career begin in the division in the first place. During an appearance Wednesday on the "Pat McAfee Show," Hopkins revealed that the then-St. Louis Rams told him that they'd either draft him or Tavon Austin in 2013 depending on how the combine went.
“The St. Louis Rams said they were going to draft me or Tavon Austin,” Hopkins said. “They said, ‘We’re taking (one of) the two of you guys with our first pick.’ It was 2013, I was the second receiver off the board, Tavon was the first to the Rams."
The Rams clearly knew who their guy was, as they selected Austin with the No. 8 overall pick. Hopkins went later in the first round at No. 27 to the Houston Texans and has totaled over 11,000 receiving yards in the regular season since.
But it was Austin, who is currently not on an NFL roster, that looked like he'd have the better career based on his combine performance. It was something that the Rams paid close attention to when comparing evaluations for him and Hopkins.
"They said, ‘Whoever has the better workout, we’re gonna draft,'" Hopkins said. "I basically tanked the workout because I knew I couldn’t compete with Tavon Austin running routes. ... I’m like, ‘Damn, they’re going on speed and I had 18 touchdowns?’ Come on, man ... Y’all take Tavon.”
Austin turned out to be a solid offensive player during five seasons with the Rams, remaining with the team even during the move to Los Angeles in 2016. But he never quite lived up to the first-round billing.
Meanwhile, Hopkins is likely headed to Canton one day, even though the past year has been forgettable for him for different reasons.
During Arizona's abysmal 4-13 finish this past season, Hopkins still finished as the team's leader in receiving yards (717) despite missing eight games, six of which came in the first six weeks of the season due to a PED suspension. But despite that, reports have indicated that the Cardinals still plan on trading Hopkins at some point this offseason.
But while his future remains uncertain, hearing about what could've been for one of the league's best receivers is certainly worthy of attention.

 

[HitStick]

These types of decisions are what lead coaches, GMs, and scouts to the unemployment line. Tavon was spectacular in college, but watching Clemson and hearing Hopkins more than you heard Watkins was telling. D.Hop had a game that translates. Tavon was a toy that the Rams didn’t have the mind for.

 

[XXXIVwin]

I was pounding the table for the Rams to take Hopkins instead of Tavon, I was so disappointed when we chose Tavon.

Scouts get so damn hung up on speed. They underestimate the importance of HANDS. Nuke Hopkins had GREAT hands, and Tavon couldn't catch for shit. It was just so obvious to me that Hopkins would transition better to the NFL than Tavon, and sadly I was right.

 

[snackdaddy]

Remember when they passed on Marvin Harrison in favor of Eddie Kennison? Mel Kiper really bashed them for that one. Turns out he was right.

 

[El Chapo Jr]

Remember when they passed on Marvin Harrison in favor of Eddie Kennison? Mel Kiper really bashed them for that one. Turns out he was right.

It's too early for this shit, I almost tried to run someone over after you said that! Hahahaha

 

[Tano]

Could you also imagine the defense if we had drafted Bobby Wagner instead of trading down

And drafted Mack and Donald in the same draft

 

[OldSchool]

And they should have. Totally not biased as a Clemson fan he was the best choice for the Rams.

 

[AZRams]

These types of decisions are what lead coaches, GMs, and scouts to the unemployment line. Tavon was spectacular in college, but watching Clemson and hearing Hopkins more than you heard Watkins was telling. D.Hop had a game that translates. Tavon was a toy that the Rams didn’t have the mind for.

No one ever figured out how to use him. His game didn't translate and while he had a few spectacular outings he could never be counted on to regularly produce significant yardage, catches or TDs.

What a waste of a pick that was. Especially in light of the fact you could have had arguably one of the best receivers of that decade instead.

Total Ram move...

 

[So Ram]

Could you also imagine the defense if we had drafted Bobby Wagner instead of trading down

And drafted Mack and Donald in the same draft

SAY WHAT ?? DOESN’T MAKE SENSE!! I’ll say I didn’t know much about AD99,but his numbers at Pittsburgh were OFF the CHARTS.He was a Tweener and that was a concern of why he went .

WHERE was the trade back? If your talking drafts I could cherry pick. I’d say what Les Snead did before that Bobby Wagner draft was pretty awesome.

 

[So Ram]

I was pounding the table for the Rams to take Hopkins instead of Tavon, I was so disappointed when we chose Tavon.

Scouts get so damn hung up on speed. They underestimate the importance of HANDS. Nuke Hopkins had GREAT hands, and Tavon couldn't catch for shit. It was just so obvious to me that Hopkins would transition better to the NFL than Tavon, and sadly I was right.

Well The Disappointing thing to me wasn’t the Tavon pick it was how The Rams did it. Just reading the the article upsets me because drafting Hopkins was the right choice as well.Why Les Snead(Fisher) did what he did was HORRIBLE!!
The J.Joyner was the TOPPER!!
To draft Tutu Atwell is what PISS me OFF!! Reason-Tavon was a GREAT PR ,but his SIZE was a problem. Same with Joyner & Tutu.

 

[thirteen28]

https://www.si.com/nfl/rams/.amp/news/los-angeles-rams-deandre-hopkins-draft-2013-st-louis-tavon-austin-combine-arizona-cardinals

MAR 8, 2023 4:51 PM EST

Rams Almost Drafted DeAndre Hopkins?​

The future remains uncertain for Arizona Cardinals receiver DeAndre Hopkins, who has been the subject of recent trade rumors.
BY ZACH DIMMITT

In this story:​

LOS ANGELES RAMS
Arizona Cardinals star receiver DeAndre Hopkins likely won't be in the NFC West after this offseason to face the Los Angeles Rams,as trade rumors that he's admitted to hearing have continued to run amuck.
But Hopkins could've had his NFL career begin in the division in the first place. During an appearance Wednesday on the "Pat McAfee Show," Hopkins revealed that the then-St. Louis Rams told him that they'd either draft him or Tavon Austin in 2013 depending on how the combine went.
“The St. Louis Rams said they were going to draft me or Tavon Austin,” Hopkins said. “They said, ‘We’re taking (one of) the two of you guys with our first pick.’ It was 2013, I was the second receiver off the board, Tavon was the first to the Rams."
The Rams clearly knew who their guy was, as they selected Austin with the No. 8 overall pick. Hopkins went later in the first round at No. 27 to the Houston Texans and has totaled over 11,000 receiving yards in the regular season since.
But it was Austin, who is currently not on an NFL roster, that looked like he'd have the better career based on his combine performance. It was something that the Rams paid close attention to when comparing evaluations for him and Hopkins.
"They said, ‘Whoever has the better workout, we’re gonna draft,'" Hopkins said. "I basically tanked the workout because I knew I couldn’t compete with Tavon Austin running routes. ... I’m like, ‘Damn, they’re going on speed and I had 18 touchdowns?’ Come on, man ... Y’all take Tavon.”
Austin turned out to be a solid offensive player during five seasons with the Rams, remaining with the team even during the move to Los Angeles in 2016. But he never quite lived up to the first-round billing.
Meanwhile, Hopkins is likely headed to Canton one day, even though the past year has been forgettable for him for different reasons.
During Arizona's abysmal 4-13 finish this past season, Hopkins still finished as the team's leader in receiving yards (717) despite missing eight games, six of which came in the first six weeks of the season due to a PED suspension. But despite that, reports have indicated that the Cardinals still plan on trading Hopkins at some point this offseason.
But while his future remains uncertain, hearing about what could've been for one of the league's best receivers is certainly worthy of attention.

Alternate headline:

Why Jeff Fisher Lost his Job with the Rams

 

[Selassie I]

It's important to consider the other info that came out on Hopkins from that combine that is not mentioned in this article.

Hopkins destroyed his hotel room at the combine right before he left by smearing his shit all over the walls of his room and everything else he could get it to stick to.

That is the reason I have called him Doo-Doo Hopkins since what he did to his hotel room was reported. It takes an extremely special kind of scumbag to doo something like that.

Something tells me that what this literal pos did to his hotel room had much to do with Doo-Doo not getting drafted until #27.

 

[Tano]

SAY WHAT ?? DOESN’T MAKE SENSE!! I’ll say I didn’t know much about AD99,but his numbers at Pittsburgh were OFF the CHARTS.He was a Tweener and that was a concern of why he went .

WHERE was the trade back? If your talking drafts I could cherry pick. I’d say what Les Snead did before that Bobby Wagner draft was pretty awesome.

They traded down in the second round when they had a chance to pick Wagner and got Pead in the second round and Rok in the fifth round

They messed up by trading down.

 

[OntarioRam]

It's important to consider the other info that came out on Hopkins from that combine that is not mentioned in this article.

Hopkins destroyed his hotel room at the combine right before he left by smearing his shit all over the walls of his room and everything else he could get it to stick to.

That is the reason I have called him Doo-Doo Hopkins since what he did to his hotel room was reported. It takes an extremely special kind of scumbag to doo something like that.

Something tells me that what this literal pos did to his hotel room had much to do with Doo-Doo not getting drafted until #27.

It blows my mind how many people just forget about this! Hopkins was very arguably the best WR in the draft. He went 27th overall. Ask yourself why. Perhaps the Rams had Hopkins and Austin rankled relatively closely, potentially even with Hopkins ranked a bit higher, but after that poop fiasco, decided they did not want to risk a top 10 pick on Hopkins?

Tavon's college tape was electric. Every team has draft misses. Taking Tavon Austin over Hopkins would definitely qualify as one, in hindsight. But I don't think it is quite as bad as people portray. In his prime, Austin was a threat to score from anywhere on the field, and could take it to the house every time he touched the football. His TD numbers were incredible for how poor those Rams teams were offensively under Fisher. And but for countless huge plays negated by penalty (I swear, he must have set a record) Austin's stats would have been even better. He played almost a decade in the NFL with decent production throughout. How many players can say that? Tavon was a bust for his draft position, but the Rams were desperate for offensive skill, speed, and splash-plays at the time. Tavon's college tape fit the bill perfectly. The pick was bad with the benefit of hindsight but not even close to egregious if viewed contextually.

 

[HitStick]

It's important to consider the other info that came out on Hopkins from that combine that is not mentioned in this article.

Hopkins destroyed his hotel room at the combine right before he left by smearing his shit all over the walls of his room and everything else he could get it to stick to.

That is the reason I have called him Doo-Doo Hopkins since what he did to his hotel room was reported. It takes an extremely special kind of scumbag to doo something like that.

Something tells me that what this literal pos did to his hotel room had much to do with Doo-Doo not getting drafted until #27.

I thought it came out that he wasn’t the only player checked into that room, and that the other guy invited people over and so Hopkins left. Did I make that up?

 

[Selassie I]

I thought it came out that he wasn’t the only player checked into that room, and that the other guy invited people over and so Hopkins left. Did I make that up?

That was the excuse Doo-Doo tried to use. But it came out that the others who were in that room had already checked out of it 2 days before him. Hopkins was the only person checked into that room when the shit was smeared all over it. That's what I remember reading anyway.

He fucking did it.... and it is the reason he fell as low as he did in the draft.

 

[Tano]

That was the excuse Doo-Doo tried to use. But it came out that the others who were in that room had already checked out of it 2 days before him. Hopkins was the only person checked into that room when the shit was smeared all over it. That's what I remember reading anyway.

He fucking did it.... and it is the reason he fell as low as he did in the draft.

Shitty type of person to do what he did

 

[BuffaloRam]

That was the excuse Doo-Doo tried to use. But it came out that the others who were in that room had already checked out of it 2 days before him. Hopkins was the only person checked into that room when the shit was smeared all over it. That's what I remember reading anyway.

He fucking did it.... and it is the reason he fell as low as he did in the draft.

What the hell is wrong with him? That’s not normal

 

[XXXIVwin]

Yeah, the hotel bathroom had some poop smeared on the walls, and there was toothpaste on the mirror. And there was some uneaten food left in the beds.

Just looked up a quick article about Hopkins. Sounds like his childhood was really messed up. Somebody got in an argument with his Mom and threw acid in her face, which disfigured and blinded her for the rest of her life. And then she had to resort to selling drugs to get by, and so fucked-up people were constantly around his house.

Sounds like Hopkins hasn't had any incidents after that hotel thing. From my POV, what he did at the hotel was reckless and inconsiderate and stupid and immature... but kinda forgivable given the hell he came from.

The incredible survival story of DeAndre Hopkins and his mom

Texans receiver DeAndre Hopkins says he owes his career to his mom. When you hear her remarkable story of survival, you'll understand his devotion.

www.espn.com

 

[nighttrain]

No one ever figured out how to use him. His game didn't translate and while he had a few spectacular outings he could never be counted on to regularly produce significant yardage, catches or TDs.

What a waste of a pick that was. Especially in light of the fact you could have had arguably one of the best receivers of that decade instead.

Total Fisher move...

fixed it for you
train