By the numbers: DeAndre Hopkins is reportedly an Arizona Cardinal

The Arizona Cardinals started the first day of NFL free agency with a bang on Monday.

After posting the transition tag on running back Kenyan Drake, the Cardinals reportedly traded running back David Johnson to the Houston Texans in exchange for wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins.

Arizona also sent over a 2020 second-round pick and 2021 fourth-rounder in exchange for a fourth-round pick in this year’s NFL Draft.

With the addition of the All-Pro wide receiver, the Cardinals now possess a receiving core that includes the likes of Larry Fitzgerald, Christian Kirk and Andy Isabella.

Here’s a look at the Cardinals’ newest wide receiver, by the numbers:

0

Zero.

That’s how many drops Hopkins had in 2018, arguably the best year of his career.

En route to an All-Pro campaign, the former Clemson Tiger tallied up 115 receptions (No. 3 in NFL) on 163 targets (No. 5 in NFL). Those metrics culminated in Hopkins posting a catch percentage of 70.6, the third-highest in the league out of all wide receivers with a minimum of 100 receptions.

All those catches and no drops – no question DeAndre Hopkins finished with the highest receiving grade at the position pic.twitter.com/FPKDOlw2L6

— PFF (@PFF) January 12, 2019

105/1371/10

Since the Texans drafted quarterback Deshaun Watson with the No. 12 overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, Hopkins has been named to both the Pro Bowl and All-Pro First-Team with an average season stat line of 105 receptions for 1,371 yards and 10 touchdowns.

In 2017, the former Clemson wide receiver posted a career-high and led the NFL with 13 touchdown receptions. Hopkins followed up with a 2018 campaign that saw him set career highs in catches (115), yards (1,572) and catch percentage (70.6).

Both of those seasons were Watson’s rookie and sophomore seasons, respectively, which should give Cardinals fans a reason to be optimistic that Hopkins and Arizona’s Kyler Murray can quickly build a strong rapport as the quarterback goes into his second season in the Valley.

Another positive sign that Hopkins can continue to produce at a career-high level is how similar Watson and Murray are in comparison to the quarterbacks Hopkins was catching passes from prior to Watson’s arrival. Those QBs include Case Keenum, Matt Schaub, Tom Savage, Brock Osweiler, Brian Hoyer, Brandon Weeden and T.J. Yates from 2013-16.

In that span, Hopkins was only named to one Pro Bowl and All-Pro Team (second-team), which came in 2015, the only season in which he surpassed 100 receptions and double-digit touchdown receptions.

4

No other team in the NFL ran more plays with four or more wide receivers on the field in 2019.

That metric comes as a result of head coach Kliff Kingsbury’s first season at the helm.

The play-caller ran 328 plays in a four-wide receiver set last season, more than the next five teams combined, according to ESPN.

And with the Texans paying the entirety of Johnson’s contract, the staggering number of four-receiver sets will also provide a monumental difference in value for how much the Cardinals will be paying Hopkins.

The two players will be making roughly the same amount in 2020, as Hopkins is slated to be paid $12.5 million in 2020, while Johnson is scheduled to receive $10.2 million.

In 2019, Hopkins played a total of 1000 regular-season snaps, which accounted for 91.3% of the Houstons’ offensive plays. Compare that to Johnson’s 445 offensive snap count, a mere 41.8% of Arizona’s play-calls.

110

In his seven-year career, Hopkins has only missed two games. Compare that to the likes of Fitgerald, who has only missed six contests in the entirety of his 16 years in a Cardinals uniform. Of those six absences, only two have come since 2007.

That kind of durability will pay dividends for Arizona, as the team has seen numerous injuries at the wide receiver position over the last few seasons.

Hopkins will also help stretch the field as he will fill in the much-needed outside possession receiver role the team has been searching for since moving Fitzgerald to the slot.

6

Hopkins has also played in six career playoff games, going 2-4 in those contests.

The wide receiver has accumulated 61 catches for 446 yards and one score. The Texans have made the playoffs in four of the last five seasons, with the lone absence coming in Watson’s 2017 rookie campaign that saw the former Clemson quarterback tear his ACL halfway through the year.

In addition to Fitzgerald’s 5-4 record in the postseason, including 2008-09’s historic Super Bowl run, the acquired playoff experience on the offensive side of the ball will aid Kingsbury and Murray as the due go into their respective sophomore campaigns, especially after the league added two additional playoff spots beginning.

And with the Cardinals being in arguably the best division in the NFL, Arizona could be playing playoff-esque contests before the actual postseason as the NFC West dukes it out toward the tail end of the season.

The addition of seven playoff teams per conference also allows for an entire division to make be playing in January.

—

The division rival San Francisco 49ers also made a roster move on Monday.

The Niners traded defensive lineman DeForest Buckner to the Indianapolis Colts for the No. 13 overall pick in this year’s draft.

According to NFL Network’s Cynthia Frelund, the transaction actually sees San Francisco’s 2020 wins projection decrease by roughly 0.25.

And although that may seem like a musical number, remember that the Seattle Seahawks went from a bye to the No. 5 seed after the 49ers stopped the Seahawks at the goal line of what would have been the game-winning score on the second-to-last play of the 2019 regular season.

Follow @jwa1994