It might only be OTAs, but DeAndre Hopkins already looks like he’s turning back the dial and settling in.
The Baltimore Ravens don’t need Hopkins to be vintage Nuk. They just need him to be better than whatever they’ve been trotting out as a WR3 the past few years. The bar hasn’t exactly been high — but if early signs are any indication, Hopkins might be set on clearing it with ease.
It’s only May. It’s only OTAs. But Hopkins is already moving around like someone who heard every offseason whisper about his decline. The guy is about to turn 33 and showed up looking like he’s ready to prove age is only a number — especially when that number is still clocking 20 mph next to kids in their early 20s.
That’s not a projection. That’s the speed he hit on Day 2 of OTAs, tied with second-year burner Tez Walker and behind only Marquise Robinson. Hopkins even posted the results to his Instagram story with a shushing emoji and the caption, “I’m old and can’t run.” Sure looks like it, huh?
DeAndre Hopkins flashing early proves he’s more than just a vet presence
Let’s be clear: the Ravens didn’t bring Hopkins in to be their top guy. That role belongs to Zay Flowers and Rashod Bateman. But that doesn’t mean there’s no meat on the bone.
Hopkins made waves during the team’s OTA session when he leaped up to snag a sideline dart from Lamar Jackson — someone he thought highly enough of to come to Charm City — right in front of breakout candidate Nate Wiggins. It was the kind of rep that gets fans buzzing in late May and players and coaches excited for the chemistry these two can form.
Plays like that — plus that Day 2 top speed — suggest this isn’t just a ceremonial stop in Baltimore. Hopkins isn’t here to go through the motions. He’s here to contribute. And if he’s still got this kind of burst, he might be a far more impactful player than anyone expected when the Ravens signed him to a one-year deal.
He’s not going to be a 1,000-yard guy. But he doesn’t have to be. His hands are still as reliable as ever. His ability to win in tight spaces hasn’t disappeared. And his chemistry with Lamar is already flashing this early in the offseason. Sprinkle that into a group that already includes Flowers, Bateman, Mark Andrews, and Derrick Henry, and you’ve got yourself a dangerous, balanced offense.
The Ravens didn’t need to add a superstar — just someone who could still make a few plays when it matters. If this version of Hopkins sticks around through camp and into the season, Baltimore might have just quietly pulled off one of the best-value signings of 2025.