When the Los Angeles Rams drafted Brycen Hopkins in the fourth round in 2020, it was viewed as a little bit of a luxury pick. They already had Tyler Higbee and Gerald Everett on the roster, so it’s not as if they needed another receiving tight end at the time.
But knowing Everett’s contract was expiring after the season, they saw an opportunity to select an athletic tight end who could eventually step into that No. 2 role behind Tyler Higbee – and maybe eventually a starter if Higbee leaves.
Things didn’t look great for Hopkins in his first two seasons, playing only 2 offensive snaps as a rookie and 59 in Year 2 last season. And despite only catching one pass for 9 yards in his first two years, he’s finally ascended into that TE2 spot.
After cutting Kendall Blanton a week ago, the Rams made it clear that Hopkins is their No. 2 tight end. And Sean McVay left no doubt about it after Saturday’s loss to the Bengals, either.
“Brycen, obviously, he is clearly our No. 2 tight end, and so we wanted to be able to get a chance to evaluate those younger guys,” McVay said of why Hopkins was held out of the game.
Where Hopkins’ rise really began was in the playoffs last year. He was targeted four times in the three games he played, catching all four passes for 47 yards and picking up three first downs.
All of those receptions came in the Super Bowl when Higbee was out, getting more playing time and opportunities than Blanton, who started the game.
His block on Cooper Kupp’s critical fourth-down run in the Super Bowl can’t be overlooked, even if it doesn’t appear on the stat sheet. Without that block, Kupp probably doesn’t pick up the first down and the Rams may not go on to score the game-winning touchdown.
Rams convert on 4th and 1 with @CooperKupp. #RamsHouse
📺: #SBLVI on NBC
📱: https://t.co/K02y40b5Nu pic.twitter.com/thWJjbHjru— NFL (@NFL) February 14, 2022
Given Higbee’s injury history, and with McVay wanting to run more two-tight end sets, Hopkins could get a real opportunity to contribute this year. The Rams are betting big on him by waiving Blanton, a strong vote of confidence for Hopkins in Year 3.
For a player who looked like he might struggle to carve out a role, he’s proved doubters otherwise by ascending to TE2. Now it’s up to him to take advantage of it.
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