Nuk Hopkins: Watson reminds him of Michael Vick |
Houston’s Clemson connection on offense goes back to when
Deshaun Watson was rewriting the state record books at Gainesville High School in Georgia.
Watson said his visits to Clemson on gamedays were “awesome” while future teammate DeAndre “Nuk” Hopkins was making plays. “As a young high school guy, Clemson was actually the first school that offered me,” Watson told HoustonTexans.com, “so I was all big eyes in shock. Just seeing all the great athletes had they had, from Nuk (Hopkins), Martavis Bryant, Sammy Watkins, Andre Ellington and so forth, just seeing those guys and being able to meet them and just picture myself being in their shoes and now being on the same team with him, that was a cool experience." Hopkins knew what Houston had when they picked Watson in the first round back in April, but even he’s joined his teammates in awe of Watson’s strong start through three games. The 22-year-old led Houston to a road win in his first start at Cincinnati, and a two-touchdown underdog at New England, Watson topped 300 passing yards with two touchdowns to force a game-winning drive from Patriots quarterback Tom Brady in a 36-33 defeat. "I saw him do it in college, but this is the NFL," Hopkins told the Houston Chronicle. "So, of course I'm impressed. I haven't seen a quarterback do that in a long time besides Michael Vick. Of course, everybody in this locker room is impressed." Hopkins hasn’t topped triple-digits receiving in a game yet, but the No. 1 receiver is benefiting from a new signal-caller – his targets up three per game through three games (12), logging 21 catches for 204 yards with a touchdown. "It gives us a lot of hope knowing that (Watson) can get back there and make plays with his feet or with his arm,” Hopkins said. “He doesn’t look to just run first every time. It gives us confidence as receivers to get open that even if the play isn’t for us or intended to go to us - he can see all over the field. “He's not locked in just on one thing. It's like he's played before in this league the way he goes out there and makes plays." Watson is sure that connection will only increase as the season goes on. "Since I've gotten here our relationship has grown and has continued to grow each and every day," Watson told HoustonTexans.com. "The trust and loyalty we have on and off the field and just the way we can be able to communicate while we're on the field and off the field, too." .@DeAndreHopkins on @deshaunwatson ability to extend plays: "That's an element we haven't had here...That's something in the NFL that can help a team win." pic.twitter.com/z3wtLpI812
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