Arizona Cardinals wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins certainly doesn’t think the NFL values him much in the trade market.
A year after Hopkins was traded to Arizona for running back David Johnson and second- and fourth-round picks, the Tennessee Titans also acquired Julio Jones without giving up a first-rounder. Hopkins reads into that a bit, suggesting that the league doesn’t view them as first-round-worthy despite their lofty accomplishments.
“We’re not worth first-round picks, that the first-round picks better than us,” Hopkins said. “I would like to see a first-round pick who could do what Julio and myself do.”
To be clear, trade value is determined by lots of things. In Jones’ case, it was that the Falcons desperately needed to free up cap space. With Hopkins, it seemed his then-coach just wanted to be rid of him. Production was really a secondary concern at that point.
More must-reads: