When the Baltimore Ravens signed DeAndre Hopkins it looked like they had acquired a true No. 1 wide receiver on the outside, but the five-time Pro Bowler actually compares more favorably to a pair of the team’s most physical inside receivers.
That’s the view of Lamar Jackson’s position coach Tee Martin. The man directly responsible for refining the fundamentals of a two-time NFL MVP quarterback believes Jackson will appreciate Hopkins’ similarity to his go-to tight ends, All-Pro Mark Andrews and roving mismatch Isaiah Likely.
As Martin told The Baltimore Banner’s Jonas Shaffer (h/t Ravens.com) at minicamp on Tuesday, June 17, “You’re speaking to catch radius. Stuff that you see with Mark [Andrews] and ‘Zay’ [Isaiah] Likely, you can now see with the DeAndre Hopkins, because it’s very similar. He’s just a wide receiver that can play strong [with] big, strong hands that quarterbacks love. That’s a really good comfort level for a quarterback, when you can put the ball in the vicinity and trust that guy is going to make a play, not only just that, too, but his mentality for going after the ball and competing for the ball.”
Jackson getting to a place where he trusts a wideout to make the kind of tough catches he’s traditionally relied on tight ends to reel in would normally take time. Yet, Hopkins’ prolific track record and career-long knack for making highlight reel-worthy catches should instantly win Jackson’s trust.
Those same attributes could also prompt the Ravens to use Hopkins in more creative ways than expected.
DeAndre Hopkins Set to Become Instant No. 1 for Ravens
He’s 32 and not quite the dominant force he was as a three-time first-team All-Pro for the Houston Texans, but Hopkins can still be a No. 1 receiver. The 12-year pro has already shown the Ravens he hasn’t lost a step, but his tough hands could have a bigger role in how Hopkins is used.
Offensive coordinator Todd Monken already sees more than a supporting role for Hopkins. The play-caller can ensure Hopkins is a feature of the Ravens’ schemes by making a simple change.
It would involve playing the seven-time 1,000-yard receiver in the slot more often. Playing inside is a subtle but necessary change for many perimeter playmakers once they reach the winter of their careers, and Hopkins should be no exception.
The 6-foot-1, 218-pounder has the size to work inside, and his willingness to compete for the ball in traffic can be an asset over the middle. Hopkins played 118 snaps in the slot last season, per Player Profiler.
He can stretch the field between the hashmarks, like Hopkins did to make this catch in a crowd for the Kansas City Chiefs against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, highlighted by ESPN.
Putting Hopkins in the slot would also let Monken invert coverage matchups to Jackson’s advantage and lessen the signal-caller’s reliance on tight ends.
Ravens Less Reliant on Tight Ends
The tight end position isn’t going to disappear from this offense. Not even after Andrews endured a playoff nightmare against the Buffalo Bills. Not when Likely is a key part of a formation the Ravens weaponized to take advantage of Jackson’s dual-threat skills.
Tight ends will still be useful in Jackson’s supporting cast, but a greater emphasis is being put on wideouts. They are becoming more important thanks to the arrival of Hopkins and to Rashod Bateman making history with a second, narrative-changing contract extension.
Bateman and Zay Flowers are young stars on the rise, while head coach John Harbaugh is predicting big things for a 2024 fourth-round pick, but Hopkins is the key.
His enduring talent for winning over the middle can draw cornerbacks in-field, leaving linebackers and safeties to split out wide to cover Likely or Andrews. Those are all matchup wins for the Ravens, just like stacking both slots with Hopkins and tight ends will leave one-on-one matchups outside the numbers for Bateman and Flowers.
The possibilities are many and exciting, provided Hopkins justifies Martin’s comparison and takes to playing more like a tight end than a receiver.
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