DeAndre Hopkins is one of the best wide receivers in the NFL. That's a given.

Where he ranks among those receivers at the top can be a matter of perspective. But in the recent ESPN poll of coaches and executives that is breaking down the league by position, Nuk comes in as the second-best wideout in the league, behind only Green Bay's Davante Adams.

D-Hop moves up a spot from the No. 3 ranking he held after his final year in Houston.

"He's not a blazer, but who cares -- the guy just wins," an NFC offensive coach is quoted as saying. "With those big hands and long arms, and the way he competes, I'm not sure I'd want anyone else to make a catch for me if I needed one play with the game on the line."

Hopkins is the third Cardinal to have come in within the top five at his position. Budda Baker was called the third-best safety; Chandler Jones the fifth-best edge rusher. (Kyler Murray was mentioned as the 10th-best quarterback.)

The guess would be that Hopkins would still want to argue that perhaps he should be on top, but being in the top two is pretty good. Hopkins set a franchise record with 115 catches in his first season with the Cardinals, highlighted by his "Hail Murray" touchdown to beat the Bills.

The Cards' wide receiver room looks a little different this year. As of now, Larry Fitzgerald won't be around for the first time since 2003, and the team signed veteran free agent A.J. Green and drafted Rondale Moore in the second round. But clearly, the leader is still Hopkins, and he has the reputation to back that up.