The debate regarding who is the top receiver in the NFL and it typically starts with New Orleans Saints’ Michael Thomas or Atlanta Falcons’ Julio Jones. Not many include Arizona Cardinals’ DeAndre Hopkins.

The impact Hopkins makes for an offense is undeniable and it’s clear he’s one of the NFL’s elite receivers. The Cardinals star recently expressed his belief that the honor of being the league’s top receiver belongs to him.

The rationale behind Hopkins’ belief that he’s the best receiver in the NFL stems from the fact Michael Thomas and Julio Jones have played with Pro Bowl quarterbacks for their whole careers while he did not.

“I definitely think I’m the best,” Hopkins said on the Jalen & Jacoby Show. “I know I’m the best. Mike’s my boy. I love [Saints wide receiver] Michael [Thomas] … but he knows if I had Drew Brees my whole career what these numbers would be. [Falcons wide receiver] Julio Jones knows if I had Matt Ryan my whole career. That’s my boy. I trained with Julio, too. He knows what these numbers would be.

“Those guys are definitely blessed to be in a position where, their whole career, they had a Pro Bowl quarterback — quarterback that they spent multiple seasons with. But I don’t complain. I don’t make excuses. I go out there and work.”

There is a need for Hopkins to get his production back closer to his 2018 levels before he can stake his claim as being the league’s top receiver. It won’t be easy, but there is plenty of reason to believe he has the potential to reach this level of impact again.

The upcoming season should be another strong individual campaign for DeAndre Hopkins during the start of his tenure with the Cardinals. His impact could help Arizona reach new heights as a team, especially with Kyler Murray entering his second season.

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