Could the Houston Texans really be looking to trade wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins? Peter King suggested that the possibility is there in his latest column for NBC Sports, and named the San Francisco 49ers among the four teams that might be a "fascinating match" for the 27-year-old three-time first-team All-Pro.
"It might be just pre-draft chatter, but two teams over the weekend told me to watch Houston and DeAndre Hopkins, who has three years and a reasonable $40 million left on his contract, and who'd cause only a $3-million cap hit to the Texans if they traded him," wrote King. "Houston is currently in draft hell, without a top-50 pick in 2020 and 2021, and coach Bill O'Brien has huge needs to fill on his offensive line, in the secondary and overall youth on the front seven."
King goes on the suggest that the 49ers, with the No. 31 overall pick, might be an option for a trade destination. The problem is that the selection is San Francisco's only one in the first four rounds of the draft. Parting with it would mean being without a selection until pick No. 156, assuming the team doesn't make any other trades.
King notes that Hopkins wasn't as explosive last year as he has been over his impressive career, and this is a deep draft class for receivers. Still, it was Hopkins' fifth 1,000-yard season, his third-straight, and his fifth in six years.
"How tempting Hopkins would be, though, to teams with cap money," King continues. "The Patriots, at 23, would be a fascinating match (they might need a mid- or late-round pick back with Hopkins), or the Niners at 31, Giants at 36 or Dolphins at 39. ... Over the last three years, Hopkins has 15 more catches, 14 more touchdowns and 12 fewer dropped passes than the great Julio Jones. Pretty tempting to consider."
While San Francisco does have some cap space, it is nowhere close to the amount owned in previous years. With the per-team salary cap set at $198.2 million, the 49ers have an estimated $13 million in space as of Monday morning.
H/t to Patrick Tulini for the find.