2013 NFL mock draft: DeAndre Hopkins to Houston Texans

Brett Kollman: "Sheldon Richardson is a Giant, Arthur Brown is a Bear, Datone Jones is a Colt, and Tyler Eifert is a Packer, leaving the list of players that could justifiably taken before a wideout pretty thin. Kawann Short was considered for this pick as a penetrating one-gap nose tackle, and both Alex Okafor and Damontre Moore were tossed around as potential high picks at outside linebacker/defensive end (allowing Brooks Reed to go inside) for the fourth draft in the last five years. If this mock were made reality I would not be shocked if the Texans front office tried to trade back into the second round, but I could also easily see Rick Smith finally answering the arguably the biggest question on the team - wide receiver. That answer, of course, would be DeAndre Hopkins.

"The Texans offense revolves around three things: blocking for Arian Foster, beating man coverage when the safeties start cheating against the run game, and catching tough passes over the middle off of naked bootlegs. Andre Johnson had career yardage numbers in 2012 hauling in almost 1,600 yards off of the Texans’ famed play action attack, and Owen Daniels left his mark all over the NFL’s linebacking corps (I’m looking at you, Rey Maualuga), but Matt Schaub had little else to work with in the 2nd and long situations that Houston always seemed to find itself in. Despite Devier Posey showing loads of promise toward the end of the season and regularly being the Texans’ most "open" receiver on any given play, his achilles tear in the playoffs almost guarantees he will start the 2013 on the PUP list. Behind Johnson, there is now almost zero functional depth if Posey cannot return for the start of the season.

"Hopkins could step in from day one as Johnson’s complementary receiver to provide the kind of chain moving, body control, magical sticky-hands catches that Posey flashed in December and January, while also serving as a potential long-term successor to the Great One himself. If the Texans want to be able to beat the best teams in the AFC, then they must be able to score with the best teams in the AFC. With the addition of Hopkins, Houston would easily have enough firepower to keep up with any other challenger in their conference."