DeAndre Hopkins and Xavier Worthy
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DeAndre Hopkins is predicted to help one Baltimore Ravens wide receiver to become another Xavier Worthy.
They signed DeAndre Hopkins to add an alpha name to their wide receiver corps, but the Baltimore Ravens are predicted to benefit more from how the veteran influences a younger player primed for a “third-year leap.”
It’s Hopkins’ fellow wideout Zay Flowers, and ESPN’s Dan Graziano named “the main reason I’m looking out for Flowers this season is the fact that DeAndre Hopkins has been on the team since the spring.”
Graziano’s take is based on the kind of impact Hopkins made for the Kansas City Chiefs after joining the reigning AFC kingpin midway through last season. Specifically, how Hopkins let raw, but explosive 2024 NFL draft first-round pick Xavier Worthy rapidly develop, something D-Hop can do for Flowers.
As Graziano revealed, “Chiefs coaches were raving to me about the impact Hopkins had after Kansas City acquired him — not as a pass catcher but as a teacher, particularly for rookie wideout Xavier Worthy. They talked about how Hopkins would grab the tablet after a drive, walk over to Worthy and teach him some of the finer details about route-running techniques. They felt Worthy’s improved performance throughout the season was due in part to Hopkins’ help, and Ravens coach John Harbaugh told me when I visited their camp that he has seen similar things from Hopkins since he has been in Baltimore. Perhaps Hopkins has the same kind of impact on Flowers that he had on Worthy.”
Hopkins already making coaches take note of his maturity and leadership with the Ravens is a good sign for Flowers. The latter needs to stay healthy, but Flowers possesses the athletic upside and big-play potential to be dominant, provided he learns the right secrets to success.
Few receivers know those secrets as well as five-time Pro Bowler Hopkins.
DeAndre Hopkins’ Influence Crucial for Multiple Ravens WRs
It won’t just be Flowers who reaps the rewards of playing alongside Hopkins. The 32-year-old can also be an invaluable mentor for other young Ravens on the depth chart.
Those other receivers include Rashod Bateman, who like Flowers is a former first-round pick yet to live up to his full potential. Bateman has flashed signs of becoming a genuine game-breaker, but he needs to put everything together, the way Hopkins did at his peak.
He was once the premier contested-catch machine of his era and could get open from anywhere. Hopkins was still showcasing those qualities last season, like for this tough grab deep against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 9.
Expecting to see multiple repeats of this play might be a little optimistic for the Ravens, but Hopkins has already answered critics of his enduring athleticism this offseason. If he’s at top speed, Hopkins will set the right example for Bateman and second-year burner Devontez Walker, but it’s Flowers who stands to gain the most.
Ravens Need Zay Flowers Breakout
A breakout for Flowers can transform what the Ravens do on offense. Specifically, Flowers taking his game up a level would make a passing game led by wide receivers the focal point over the multiple-tight end sets and heavy dose of running that have defined the way the Ravens have moved the ball for years.
Health is the key for Flowers, who has found it difficult to get over last season’s knee problem, but durability is just one piece of the puzzle. Flowers also needs to be tougher in space and more productive after the catch.
The 24-year-old has been working to get more physical, but there’s more to come from Flowers as a vertical and breakaway threat. He averaged a solid 8.1 yards before catch per reception last season, per Pro Football Reference, but 6.1 yards after catch per reception doesn’t compare favorably to the 6.9 managed by Worthy.
Learning from Hopkins created an upward surge for Worthy. He averaged 10 or more yards per reception four times and six or more targets in six games after Hopkins arrived in trade back in October.
A similarly prolific streak for Flowers would surely result in the breakout the Ravens need from their projected star receiver.