The newest Texan came to town on Friday afternoon, and did so with a big smile.
Clemson wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins was the 27th selection in the first round on Thursday evening, and he flew into Houston's Bush Intercontinental Airport Friday at 3:15 p.m. He was met by a pair of Texans' officials, a handful of cameras and a few well-wishers and fans hoping to snag a photograph.
"As soon as I got off the plane I was greeted by fans," Hopkins said. "I know that this is love-city. I can see that right now from the beginning. It's a good start to a great season."
Hopkins and his mother Sabrina Greenlee took a limo ride to Reliant Stadium, and bumped into team president Jamey Rootes upon entering the building. Rootes, a 1989 graduate of Clemson, was excited to meet a fellow Tiger and Texan and greeted him with a hug.
"You're electric," Rootes said to Hopkins. "It's great to have you on our team. You weren't here last night, but our fans were excited. They know how electric you are."
Hopkins met Rick Smith next, and after a discussion in the general manager's office, the wide receiver met his position coach Larry Kirksey.
"The boys had nothing but joy last night," Kirksey told his newest charge. "You're going to have a good guy to follow around: Andre Johnson. Stay close to him and you'll do great things."
In between meeting Kirksey and a photo session at his new locker, Hopkins ran into head coach Gary Kubiak in the locker room. The two chatted briefly, as Kubiak was headed to the team's war room for the start of the second round of the Draft.
The rookie wideout will locker next to Andre Johnson, and that fact has Hopkins excited about the future.
"I'm going to make sure that he teaches me what he knows so that I can be in his position come 11 years from now."
A press conference with the Houston media followed, and Hopkins and Greenlee went to dinner with Smith, Johnson and a few other members of the team's front office. He'll return home to South Carolina on Saturday morning.
