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Brycen Hopkins

Not to be confused with Bryce Hopkins.

Brycen Hopkins
refer to caption
Hopkins playing for Purdue in 2017
Personal information
Born: (1997-03-27) March 27, 1997 (age 27)
Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.
Height:6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight:245 lb (111 kg)
Career information
High school:The Ensworth School
(Nashville, Tennessee)
College:Purdue (2015–2019)
Position:Tight end
NFL draft:2020 / round: 4 / pick: 136
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of 2023
Receptions:13
Receiving yards:196
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Brycen Avery Hopkins (born March 27, 1997) is an American professional football tight end. He played college football at Purdue, and was selected by the Los Angeles Rams in the fourth round of the 2020 NFL draft.

Early life

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Hopkins grew up in Nashville, Tennessee and attended The Ensworth School. He initially focused on basketball and did not play organized football until his junior year. He was named Division II-AA All-State as a senior.[1] Rated a two-star prospect by Rivals.com and three-star prospect by 247Sports.com, Hopkins committed to play college football at Purdue. He was offered a scholarship by the school after impressing then-recruiting coordinator Gerad Parker with his physicality in a pickup basketball game.[2]

College career

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Hopkins redshirted his true freshman season at Purdue. He had 10 receptions for 183 and four touchdowns while serving as the second string tight end as a redshirt freshman and caught three passes for 80 yards and two touchdowns against Iowa.[3][4] Hopkins remained the second-string tight end for Purdue as a redshirt sophomore, but finished the season with 25 receptions for 349 yards (both the highest among Purdue's tight ends) and three touchdowns.[5] As a redshirt junior, Hopkins finished third on the team with 34 receptions and 583 receiving yards with two touchdowns and was named honorable mention All-Big Ten Conference.[6]

Hopkins entered his redshirt senior season on the watchlist for the Mackey Award. He was named the John Mackey Award Tight End of the Week after catching six passes for 84 yards and a touchdown in the season opener against Vanderbilt on August 30, 2019, and again after posting 10 receptions for 140 yards against Maryland on October 12.[7][8] Hopkins finished the season with 61 receptions for 830 yards and seven touchdowns and was named first-team All-Big Ten, the Kwalick–Clark Tight End of the Year and a semifinalist for the Mackey Award. He finished his collegiate career with 130 catches for 1,945 and 16 touchdowns.[9][10] Hopkins was named a second-team All-American by CBS Sports, Sports Illustrated, and USA Today.[11]

Professional career

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Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
6 ft 3+7⁄8 in
(1.93 m) 		245 lb
(111 kg) 		32+1⁄8 in
(0.82 m) 		10+1⁄8 in
(0.26 m)		 4.66 s 1.61 s 2.70 s 4.28 s 7.25 s 33.5 in
(0.85 m)		 9 ft 8 in
(2.95 m)		 21 reps
All values from NFL Combine[12][13]

On April 25, 2020, Hopkins was selected by the Los Angeles Rams in the fourth round (136th overall) in the 2020 NFL draft.[14] He made his NFL debut on October 26, 2020, in a 24–10 win over the Chicago Bears.[15] Hopkins played in five games, mostly on special teams, as a rookie and did not catch a pass.[16]

Hopkins played in five games during the 2021 regular season, catching one pass for nine yards. He also played in three of the Rams' four playoff games and saw significant playing time in the team's 23–20 win over the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl LVI after starter Tyler Higbee was ruled out for the game and backup Kendall Blanton suffered a shoulder injury in the first half.[17] Hopkins caught four passes for 47 yards in the game.[18]

On September 21, 2022, Hopkins was suspended for three games for violating the NFL's policy of substance abuse.[19]

Personal life

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Hopkins is the son of former Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans offensive tackle Brad Hopkins.[20]

References

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  1. ^ Kreiger, Tom (December 31, 2014). "County places 11 on TSWA All-State football team". The Daily News Journal. Retrieved November 6, 2019.
  2. ^ Bouclair, David (November 3, 2016). "Hopkins caught on quickly to football". NashvillePost.com. Retrieved November 5, 2019.
  3. ^ Willinger, Matt (August 30, 2017). "A Glance at Purdue - Offense". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved November 5, 2019.
  4. ^ Batterson, Steve (October 15, 2016). "King's pick six comes at perfect time for Iowa". The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier. Retrieved November 5, 2019.
  5. ^ DeFabo, Mike (July 26, 2018). "Tight ends will again be featured pieces of Boilers' offense". The Herald Bulletin. Retrieved November 5, 2019.
  6. ^ Miller, Travis (June 2, 2019). "89 Days to Purdue Football: Brycen Hopkins". HammerAndRails.com. SB Nation. Retrieved November 5, 2019.
  7. ^ McCammon, Michael (September 3, 2019). "Purdue's Brycen Hopkins chosen Mackey Tight End of the Week". 247Sports.com. Retrieved November 5, 2019.
  8. ^ Dienhart, Tom (October 16, 2019). "He's back! Hopkins' big day shows he's still an elite tight end". Rivals.com. Retrieved November 6, 2019.
  9. ^ Crespo, Juan (November 18, 2019). "Brycen Hopkins Named John Mackey Award Semi-Finalist". HammerAndRails.com. SB Nation. Retrieved December 1, 2019.
  10. ^ McCammon, Michael (December 4, 2019). "Purdue has pair earn All-Big Ten Individual Honor". 247Sports.com. Retrieved December 9, 2019.
  11. ^ "Hopkins Named USA Today 2nd-Team All-America". PurdueSports.com. December 14, 2019. Retrieved March 25, 2023.
  12. ^ "Brycen Hopkins Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved May 22, 2021.
  13. ^ "2020 NFL Draft Scout Brycen Hopkins College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved July 28, 2023.
  14. ^ Kreager, Tom (April 25, 2020). "2020 NFL Draft: Brycen Hopkins, son of former Titans OT Brad Hopkins, chosen by Rams". The Tennessean. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
  15. ^ DaSilva, Cameron (October 27, 2020). "Rams snap counts: Terrell Lewis' role grows vs. Bears". Rams Wire. USA Today. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
  16. ^ DaSilva, Cameron (April 13, 2021). "After quiet rookie year, Brycen Hopkins has golden opportunity to help Rams in 2021". The Rams Wire. USA Today. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
  17. ^ Brew, Tom (February 14, 2022). "My Two Cents: Super Bowl Glory for Brycen Hopkins, Who Just Kept on Working". SI.com. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
  18. ^ "Super Bowl LVI - Los Angeles Rams vs. Cincinnati Bengals - February 13th, 2022". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 25, 2023.
  19. ^ Kerr, Jeff (September 21, 2022). "NFL suspensions: Steelers' Damontae Kazee, Rams' Brycen Hopkins each get three-game ban". CBSSports.com. Retrieved September 21, 2022.
  20. ^ Murphy, Michael (December 16, 2014). "Brad Hopkins' son commits to Purdue". The Tennessean. Retrieved November 5, 2019.
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