The arrival of rookie wideouts Will Fuller and Braxton Miller have made one Texan a very happy man: DeAndre Hopkins.
Houston's star receiver approves of a focused draft haul that saw coach Bill O'Brien and general manager Rick Smith add speed and versatility to the passing game.
"Yeah, man, I thank those guys for that," Hopkins told the Houston Chronicle. "Last year, there were a couple of pieces of the puzzle that we needed that could've helped us get over some games. It's the NFL and other teams get paid, too. I think they brought some guys in that are going to push me, myself and everybody in there.
"When you bring in two wide receivers, it makes everybody say, 'OK, all right, there's a little more competition in this room, which is good. It's going to help out the team. I've heard good things about them so far. Everything I've heard about them has been positive."
Beyond the receiving help, the Texans hope that new quarterback Brock Osweiler will finally bring stability under center. Hopkins' 1,521 yards and 11 touchdowns off a career-high 111 catches is even more incredible when you consider who was throwing the ball in 2015: Ryan Mallett, Brian Hoyer, Brandon Weeden and T.J. Yates.
"I've been very impressed with Brock's leadership role so far," Hopkins said. "He brought guys to Arizona to go out there and train when he didn't have to. It was voluntary, but he also demanded our best when we were out there. The way he's leading guys, just little things like that, you can tell he wants to be great."
"Team-wise, definitely looking for playoffs for us," Hopkins said. "I don't like talking ahead, but the guys' attitude and the vibe in the locker room is good. I feel real good about this team and what it can do."
