DeAndre Hopkins was named to ProFootballFocus.com's All-Sophomore Team on Wednesday.
The statistics-driven website has been doling out its 2014 season awards and chose the top players at each position from the 2013 NFL Draft class. Hopkins and Saints wide receiver Kenny Stills were the best second-year players of their position group, according to PFF.com.
"Injuries slowed Keenan Allen and there really wasn't any receiver who stood out in the slot. So these two picked themselves with Hopkins especially impressive in showing why he was a first-round pick not too long ago," wrote Khaled Elsayed of PFF.com.
Hopkins had a career game in Week 13 against Tennessee with 238 yards receiving, averaging a franchise single-game high of 26.4 yards per catch, and two touchdowns. Following his sophomore season, Hopkins' performance also earned him a spot on the upcoming Pro Bowl roster as an alternate.
"I know this about Hop - he's worked very hard," O'Brien said Dec. 24. "He's got a great example there at his position in Andre Johnson to learn from. He's one of our hardest workers. From the time that we got here to where he is now, he's made a lot of improvement and he's done a good job of learning our system and going out there and being productive."
Hopkins has 2,012 yards receiving and eight touchdowns in his first two NFL seasons. He became the second-youngest player (22 years, 198 days) in NFL history to reach 2,000 yards, doing so in his 31st game.
