(Photo: US Presswire)

By Marc Sluis, Staff Writer

7. DeAndre Hopkins CLEMSON

6’1 195

 Strengths: He has fantastic ball skills for a fast and relatively thin guy but uses his size and soft hands to out-jump defenders and go get the ball. He makes tough catches on balls thrown low and shows nice elusiveness in the open field.

 Weaknesses: His average timed speed may cause him to struggle separating at the next level. Teams may try to take advantage of his thin frame and play press coverage.

 The Take Home: Hopkins showed great ability to catch balls with his hands and not his body while hanging on after taking a hit. If he can bulk up his soft hands and great ball skills should mitigate his relative struggle to separate. While not a burner he is a long-strider and can cover ground quickly as well as run routes well enough to get open. He’s not the elite athlete that his teammate Sammy Watkins is, but he has a similar build and shows some real potential and natural ball skills.

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