He played college football at Purdue, and was selected by the Los Angeles Rams in the fourth round of the 2020 NFL draft.

He was offered a scholarship by the school after impressing then-recruiting coordinator Gerad Parker with his physicality in a pickup basketball game.

[5] As a redshirt junior, Hopkins finished third on the team with 34 receptions and 583 receiving yards with two touchdowns and was named honorable mention All-Big Ten Conference.

[7][8] Hopkins finished the season with 61 receptions for 830 yards and seven touchdowns and was named first-team All-Big Ten, the Kwalick–Clark Tight End of the Year and a semifinalist for the Mackey Award.

He also played in three of the Rams' four playoff games and saw significant playing time in the team's 23–20 win over the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl LVI after starter Tyler Higbee was ruled out for the game and backup Kendall Blanton suffered a shoulder injury in the first half.