The New England Patriots are preparing to take on the Houston Texans on Sunday, which means that the Patriots will have to deal with a bona fide star of a wide receiver in DeAndre Hopkins.

Luckily, New England has a bona fide star cornerback in Stephon Gilmore to match up with Hopkins (you know; the same Stephon Gilmore who blanked Dallas Cowboys wideout Amari Cooper last Sunday).

However, Pats head coach Bill Belichick is fully aware of Hopkins' greatness and gave him some fairly hefty praise on Wednesday:

“You put NFL receiver in the dictionary, his picture is next to it,” Belichick said, according to Doug Kyed of NESN.com.

Belichick added that Hopkins' catch radius and hands are “elite-elite.”

It's hard to argue with Belichick's assessment.

Through 11 games this season, Hopkins has logged 81 catches for 839 yards and six touchdowns and seems to be well on his way to third straight Pro Bowl appearance.

The 27-year-old, who played his collegiate football at Clemson, was originally selected by the Texans in the first round (27th pick overall) of the 2013 NFL Draft.

He had an impressive rookie campaign, catching 52 passes for 802 yards and a couple of scores. The following year, Hopkins broke out, hauling in 76 receptions for 1,210 yards while reaching the end zone six times, and in 2015, Hopkins made his first Pro Bowl after snaring 111 balls for 1,521 yards and 11 touchdowns.

Hopkins is also coming off of back-to-back First-Team All-Pro selections.

The Patriots are an AFC-best 10-1 this season and are moving toward locking down another first-round bye.

Meanwhile, the Texans are 7-4 and sit in first place in the AFC South.