What They're Saying: Lions Should Make Push for DeAndre Hopkins

Experts are clamoring for Detroit to pursue the heralded wide receiver.

The Detroit Lions have a need for wide receiver depth. 

Any insurance plans at the position went out the window when three members of the team's wideouts room were handed suspensions. 

Two -- Quintez Cephus and Stanley Berryhill -- were subsequently released. The third, Jameson Williams, will miss the season's first six games. 

Detroit has made two additions at the position externally, but there is still hope among the fanbase that the team will make another splash leading into the 2023 season. 

DeAndre Hopkins is hitting the open market, after the Arizona Cardinals announced they were releasing him Friday. The talented wide receiver will be heavily sought after on the free-agent market.

While the Lions have one of the league's best receiving units when fully operational, a player like Hopkins could have a major impact. 

Here is a sample of what the NFL world has been saying about Hopkins potentially landing in Detroit. 

Shannon Sharpe (Fox Sports 1)

"I know a team that's got a pretty good offense that played really well last year, that's $24 million under the cap and that's the Detroit Lions, and, plus, Jameson Williams is gonna miss the first six games of the season. So it seems like that's the natural fit. He's played in the NFC the last three years, so it's not like he's changing conferences. I think the Lions, ... I think Detroit seems to be the most logical spot." 

Harry Douglas (ESPN)

"The team that I think should go after DeAndre Hopkins is the Detroit Lions. This is an NFL team that's surging right now, coming off the season that they had a year ago, went 8-2 in their last 10 games. But I'll start with the cap space, the Detroit Lions at the moment have about $23 million in cap space so the money is there. 

Then you look at the receiver room, Amon-Ra St. Brown is their number one guy, 1,100 yards last year, six touchdowns but their second-leading receiver was Kalif Raymond. Nothing against Kalif Raymond, but you look at that being a category where the Detroit Lions need to upgrade. Don't forget that Jameson Williams is gonna be suspended for the first six games so he's not gonna be there. 

So now you insert a guy like DeAndre Hopkins to go along with that run game, also to compliment what they've been able to do in free agency in bringing in David Montgomery, what they did in the draft, drafting a tight end in Sam LaPorta. But also Jahmyr Gibbs at the running back position. I look at DeAndre Hopkins in this offense being very feasible but also being productive. When you have a guy that can line-up outside and defenses have to attend for and account for, that's gonna open up more things for Amon-Ra to be able to eat within that slot." 

Mina Kimes (ESPN)

Teams that should aggressively pursue D Hop:

Detroit
New England
Carolina
Dallas
Atlanta
Indy

+ Buffalo, KC, NYG tho I think cap might be tricky

— Mina Kimes (@minakimes) May 26, 2023

Eric Mullin (NBC Sports)

"The Lions are the betting favorite to win the NFC North. Yes, the same Lions who haven't made the playoffs since 2016 and last won the division in 1993.

But Detroit already has some early-season adversity they'll need to overcome. The Lions will be without wideout Jameson Williams for the first six games after the 2022 first-round pick was suspended for a gambling violation. Williams was already a question mark after recording just one catch as a rookie in his return from an ACL tear. Now, the Lions won't really start to see what they have in him until Week 7.

Adding Hopkins to a wide receiver group with Amon-Ra St. Brown and Marvin Jones Jr. would take some pressure off Williams when he returns and bolster Detroit's efforts to capture the division crown."

Matt Verderame (Sports Illustrated)

"For the first time in what feels like a decade, the Lions have real expectations. Detroit is the favorite in many corners to win the NFC North, something it has never done (the Lions last won a division in 1993, then known as the NFC Central.) Unfortunately for Motown, second-year receiver Jameson Williams is suspended for six games after violating the NFL's gambling policy. 

All this opens the door for Hopkins, who would make an ideal running mate for Amon-Ra St. Brown. Once Williams returns the Lions would then have a speedy, dynamic trio on the fast, indoor surface of Ford Field. Finally, Detroit has the cap space sitting at $23.7 million."