Former Clemson star wideout DeAndre Hopkins is wasting no time making an impression on his new quarterback.
After signing a one-year deal with the Baltimore Ravens back in March, Hopkins has been going through his first offseason program with the team, and MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson already loves what he’s seen from his newest weapon on the field.
During Tuesday’s minicamp practice, Hopkins ran a shallow cross route and “slid on the wet grass, caught the ball with his left hand only, and popped back up to his feet,” according to the Ravens’ official website.
Jackson was highly impressed by the way Hopkins made the difficult grab look effortless, and Jackson raved about Hopkins when he met with the media after Tuesday’s practice session.
“That guy is dope. He’s different, man,” Jackson said. “I threw him a shallow today, he caught the ball so smooth, got up, I don’t even think he put his other hand on the ground to get up. … That’s some super-vet type stuff.”
Jackson is certainly happy to have Hopkins, a five-time Pro Bowler and three-time first-team All-Pro, on his team.
“It’s just dope to have him,” Jackson added. “I’m looking forward to throwing a lot of touchdowns to him this year.”
Following Tuesday’s practice, Hopkins gave his early impressions of Jackson and spoke glowingly about his new teammate as well.
“[Jackson is] a competitor at everything,” Hopkins said. “I saw him in [the locker room] shooting hoops on the basketball goal, and he didn’t want to lose. That says a lot about him and who he is, just little things like that. Obviously, on the football field, if he makes a mistake or doesn’t complete a ball that he wants to, he’s hard on himself, and no one has to say anything to him. But that’s why he is who he is.”
The 33-year-old Hopkins, who’s heading into his 13th NFL campaign in 2025, has amassed 984 receptions for 12,965 yards and 83 touchdowns during his Hall of Fame-caliber career with the Houston Texans, Arizona Cardinals, Tennessee Titans and Kansas City Chiefs since being selected by Houston in the first round of the 2013 NFL Draft.
Meanwhile, Jackson has completed 64.9 percent of his passes for 20,059 yards and 166 touchdowns over the first seven years of his NFL career, while also rushing for 6,173 yards and 33 more scores on the ground. The 28-year-old has won two MVP awards, been selected to four Pro Bowls and earned three first-team All-Pro selections since being selected by the Ravens in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft.
It’s clear that Hopkins and Jackson are quickly building chemistry, and they’ll keep developing their rapport during training camp before the Ravens open the regular season on the road against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, Sept. 7 (8:20 p.m., NBC).
As Jackson said, we could see plenty of touchdown connections between the newly formed tandem in 2025.
–Photo courtesy of Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images