DeAndre Hopkins first met Deshaun Watson when he was just a student at Gainesville High School. Watson, visiting Clemson University on a recruiting trip, knew all about Hopkins and the skill players that made it into the NFL from there.
"It was awesome," Watson said, "At the time, as a young high school guy, Clemson was actually the first school that offered me, so I was all big eyes in shock," Watson said. "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."
Watson and Hopkins still reminisce about how their paths have crossed, especially now with the rookie quarterback and the Pro Bowl receiver on the same Texans team.
"Since I've gotten here our relationship has grown and has continued to grow each and every day," Watson said. "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."
Every day, they work on their timing, chemistry, communicating on and off the field. With Hopkins missing most of training camp with a thumb injury, the duo really began the bulk of their reps together after the start of the season when Watson became the starter.
"I'm not perfect, that's why we practice early in the season," Hopkins said. 'If I was to go out there and say I was going to catch every ball that came my way, I would be lying. But it's practice, timing and we're getting better, we're improving. I really don't go by statistics, I go by wins or losses."
Hopkins has caught passes from 11 different starting quarterbacks with the Texans, but no one quite like rookie Deshaun Watson.
"That's an element that we haven't had here, that a lot of people on this team haven't seen, even in college, before, with quarterbacks, so that's something that it takes time to get used to, but we're working on it to help him out when he's out there scrambling to find the open spots," Hopkins said. "But, that's something that, in the NFL, can help a team win."
Hopkins currently has a team-high 21 catches for 204 yards and a touchdown through three games.
Check out some of the best shots from Wednesday's practice as the Texans prepare for Sunday's game against the Titans.
