Chiefs receiver DeAndre Hopkins has not exactly been a top-shelf star since coming over from the Titans in a trade ahead of the NFL deadline. Kansas City got him as a bridge to get them through a rash of wide-receiver injuries, and to be a key contributor once the playoffs started.

This is a player, after all, who has five 1,000-yard seasons to his credit in his NFL career. But Hopkins played 10 games for the Chiefs this year, garnering only 437 yards, adding four touchdowns.

He has only made one postseason catch, for 11 yards. But the Chiefs have a way of calling on big-time players to make big-time plays in big-time moments, and Hopkins could be in line for that kind of moment in the Super Bowl on Sunday against the Eagles.

To all the kids out there living in small towns, in small houses, with single parents. To the kids who see violence, who see loss, who don’t get the resources they deserve, but who still have big dreams. Know that I was a kid in your exact shoes and this week I’m playing in the…

— Deandre Hopkins (@DeAndreHopkins) February 3, 2025

Quarterback Patrick Mahomes knows that when he needs a guy who can win a one-on-one battle for a ball, Hopkins is a good option.

“I think just the ability to win one-on-one is special,” Mahomes said. “I mean, that truly is special and sometimes it gets lost because whenever you’ve got a guy on the boundary that’s one-on-one with … he’s really kind of showcasing that he can win one-on-one versus anybody.

“That’s stuff that puts pressure on the defense when I’m hitting those guys in those one-on-one matchups and making them push guys over which is opening up everybody else.”

Whether he gets that chance or not, Hopkins is still on a stage in which he can reach a wide range of fans and observers. As such, he put out a message on Monday addressed to young people who are struggling, as he did when he was a kid growing up in South Carolina.

Hopkins wrote on Twitter/X: “To all the kids out there living in small towns, in small houses, with single parents. To the kids who see violence, who see loss, who don’t get the resources they deserve, but who still have big dreams. Know that I was a kid in your exact shoes and this week I’m playing in the Super Bowl.

“Don’t give up, work hard, keep believing. Where you start doesn’t determine where you end up.”