Where are they now? Wes Hopkins
Eagles career: Drafted by the Eagles in the second round of the 1983 NFL draft, Hopkins played his entire 11-year career in Philadelphia and built a lasting reputation as one of the hardest-hitting safeties to have ever played in the league. In addition to being recognized as a first team All-Pro in 1985, Hopkins made the Pro Bowl that same year after a career season in which he posted six interceptions - one returned for a touchdown - and a pair of sacks. He finished his career with 30 interceptions and 12 sacks. Not bad for a college walk-on out of Southern Methodist.
Where he is now: Hopkins, 47, lives in Houston and works for First Management Group, a company that designs and builds housing for low-income families. In addition to keeping up with two children in college, Hopkins stays active through weightlifting and walking. "The housing market is a little slow right now, but I love what I do," he says. "To be able to help someone out like that is definitely a rewarding feeling. It's good to be active you know, and I do just enough to keep the old legs in shape."
An Eagles memory: To Hopkins, the best thing about playing in Philly was the fans. He also recalls the camaraderie among those on the defensive units, headlined in his playing days by bruisers such as Reggie White and Jerome Brown. "I enjoyed playing for the fans in Philly, I mean those people are a special breed," Hopkins says. "They were just so die-hard, and for as much as they cheered you they booed you. It was like you weren't allowed to have a bad day. Also, playing with all those guys was great. We were like a family. No one threw anyone under the bus and we always had fun. That locker room was great."
Perspective on today's game: Old school at heart, Hopkins feels the sensitivity shown to today's offense is a bit much, which in turn has taken away from the smash-mouth, hard-hitting game he grew to love. "The rules have favored so much in terms of the offense, it's a little ridiculous," he says. "It's so difficult to play defense anymore because these guys have to worry that if they hit a guy the wrong way they might get fined by the league, and these fines are taking a lot of money out of your pocket. To me, it just seems so easy for these receivers to look good, because these defensive backs are hamstrung to just lay 'em out. To me, that's football."
