{"id":825896,"date":"2026-03-21T22:41:13","date_gmt":"2026-03-21T22:41:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/825896\/"},"modified":"2026-03-21T22:41:13","modified_gmt":"2026-03-21T22:41:13","slug":"deandre-hopkins-raves-about-zay-flowers-as-a-no-1-wr-in-the-nfl","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/825896\/","title":{"rendered":"DeAndre Hopkins raves about Zay Flowers as a No. 1 WR in the NFL"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>March 21, 2026, 5:46 p.m. ET<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Doubt has a way of finding even the most productive young stars, and Zay Flowers has heard his share of it. Despite flashes of brilliance and a growing role in the <a href=\"https:\/\/sportsdata.usatoday.com\/football\/nfl\/teams\/baltimore-ravens\/366\/\" data-t-l=\":b|e|k|\u2691u\" class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Baltimore Ravens<\/a> offense, questions still linger about whether he has the stuff to truly ascend into that WR1 tier. It isn&#8217;t a narrative that circulates often. It comes up from time to time when Baltimore&#8217;s offensive firepower is questioned or when the offense struggles and the passing game goes into a drought.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">DeAndre Hopkins wasn&#8217;t a Raven long, but he was baptized in the black and purple. He has always spoken glowingly of the organization. Disparaging remarks about his former team and teammates won&#8217;t be greeted with understanding.<\/p>\n<p>DeAndre Hopkins goes to bat for Zay Flowers.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">A five-time Pro Bowler, Hopkins has built a career on elite route running and consistency, and recently, he didn&#8217;t hesitate to push back on the idea that Zay Flowers is limited.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">From Hopkins&#8217; perspective, labeling Flowers as anything less than a top option ignores what shows up on tape. The explosiveness, the ability to separate, and the confidence to make plays in big moments are all traits of a number one receiver.<\/p>\n<p>Expert NFL picks: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" data-t-l=\":body nav (nfl)|e|auto spike click:6|\u2691u\" class=\"gnt_ar_b_sp_a\" href=\"https:\/\/sportsdata.usatoday.com\/football\/nfl\/picks\">Exclusive betting insights only at USA TODAY.<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Hopkins has seen enough football to recognize the difference. In his eyes, Flowers checks the necessary boxes. Part of the skepticism surrounding Flowers stems from perception. He isn&#8217;t the biggest receiver on the field, and he doesn&#8217;t always fit the traditional mold of a prototypical WR1, but the league has evolved. Today&#8217;s top targets win in a variety of ways. Whether that&#8217;s through speed, precision, or yards after the catch. Flowers thrives in those areas, creating mismatches and turning routine plays into explosive gains. There&#8217;s also the matter of opportunity. Young receivers often need time to fully grow into their roles.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Consistency comes with experience. Flowers has already shown he can be a focal point, and as his chemistry with his quarterback continues to develop, the production should follow. That&#8217;s typically how the leap happens, from promising playmaker to undeniable top option.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">For Hopkins, the conversation is simple. If you&#8217;re still doubting Flowers, you might want to reconsider. Because in a league driven by results and film, respect is earned, and Flowers is well on his way to commanding it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"March 21, 2026, 5:46 p.m. ET Doubt has a way of finding even the most productive young stars,&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":825897,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2052],"tags":[95878,184,117,2282,7,6,169,96963,96964,95882,97801,95897,95899,95906,95883,95881],"class_list":{"0":"post-825896","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-baltimore-ravens","8":"tag-accessfree","9":"tag-baltimore","10":"tag-baltimore-ravens","11":"tag-baltimoreravens","12":"tag-football","13":"tag-nfl","14":"tag-ravens","15":"tag-sstssportsnflravens","16":"tag-sstsnravens","17":"tag-tagamerican-football","18":"tag-tagdeandre-hopkins","19":"tag-tagoverall-negative","20":"tag-tagoverall-neutral","21":"tag-tagoverall-positive","22":"tag-tagsports-news","23":"tag-typestory"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116269580116155576","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/825896","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=825896"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/825896\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/825897"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=825896"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=825896"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=825896"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}