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          NFL Nation

          Texans' future bright with Pro Bowlers DeAndre Hopkins, Jadeveon Clowney

          DeAndre Hopkins caught Hopkins caught seven of his 12 touchdowns from Deshaun Watson. Bob Levey/Getty Images
          • Sarah Barshop, ESPN Staff WriterDec 20, 2017, 12:00 PM
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              Sarah Barshop covers the Los Angeles Rams for ESPN. She joined ESPN in 2016 to cover the Green Bay Packers for ESPN Milwaukee. She then moved to Houston to cover the Texans. She came to ESPN after working as a writer and editor for Sports Illustrated. You can follow her on Twitter @sarahbarshop.
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          HOUSTON -- There haven't been too many bright spots for the 4-10 Houston Texans, but two stars have stayed healthy and stood out: wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins and defensive end Jadeveon Clowney.

          On Tuesday night, both players were named to the 2018 Pro Bowl. Hopkins leads the NFL with 12 touchdown receptions and has 92 catches for 1,313 yards. With two games remaining, he is within striking distance (29 catches and 208 yards) to match his best NFL season.

          Hopkins has done that while playing with three quarterbacks: rookie Deshaun Watson, Tom Savage and T.J. Yates. Hopkins caught seven of his touchdown passes from Watson, but has been productive since the rookie tore his ACL as well.

          Texans head coach Bill O'Brien said Monday that he doesn't "think there's doubt" that Hopkins is the best wide receiver in the NFL.

          "This guy, the type of year he's had with different quarterbacks, the catches that he's made, I mean, just look at his third-down production," O'Brien said. "I think he's the best receiver in the league. He's big, he's strong, he's got great ability on the sideline, he's such a great competitor on Sundays, he wants the ball, he wants the ball thrown to him."

          "He gets better and better every year. There's no doubt about that. ... He's played at a very high level for us."

          Clowney is having the best year of his young career, with nine sacks, 50 tackles, 18 tackles for a loss and 20 quarterback hits. The defensive end is having this success as the focus of the Texans' pass rush for the first time as J.J. Watt and Whitney Mercilus have been on injured reserve for the majority of the season. The Texans have tried to prevent teams from being able to just focus on him by moving him around the field.

          "[Clowney is] playing hard, he's banged up, he's making a lot of plays for us," O'Brien said. "He's an impactful player. He's become a leader."

          After Clowney was injured in 2014 and '15 and Watt missed all but three games in 2016, the Texans were hoping this was the season the defensive three-headed monster of Watt, Clowney and Mercilus could all play together all season and be a part of one of the best front sevens in the NFL. That didn't happen in 2017, but with the return of Deshaun Watson throwing to Hopkins and a healthy defensive front, the Texans could be a playoff team again in 2018.