DeAndre Hopkins believes that Tom Savage has "earned" the role of No. 1 quarterback for the Houston Texans.

Bill O'Brien has said that Savage is the team's top option despite the drafting of Deshaun Watson last month.

"I like his leadership," Hopkins said of Savage. "From last year, when he wasn't playing on the field, he was still showing the guys, telling us what we should do, helping us out like he was the starting quarterback. Now that he's in that role, it's no surprise to anybody on this field that he deserves that role. He has earned it, not just from playing, but from the chemistry he has built in the locker room with everybody."

Tom Savage has impressed the Houston Texans' coaching staff so far this offseason.

Savage is competing with first-round pick Deshaun Watson at quarterback.

"He's just come in with a very down-to-earth work ethic with it," Sean Ryan, the team's quarterbacks coach, said. "If he's thought about it a lot, it hasn't come through to me, in terms of what his role will be or how it's changed from a year ago."

"Yeah, he has grown a lot," added offensive assistant Pat O'Hara. "He's been through a lot, not just the injuries, but he's seen a lot of quarterbacks come and go here. The thing that really is positive for him is that this is his fourth season, and in college he was with three different teams, three different systems, maybe more, maybe different coordinators."

J.J. Watt was voted as the 35th-best player in the NFL Network's Top 100, but tweeted Monday night that he didn't think he deserved to be listed that high.

The list is voted on by NFL players, but the Houston Texans defensive end tweeted that the list "is a joke" because he played in only three games last season.

Watt re-aggravated a back injury in late September, cutting his season short. He finished with 1.5 sacks and a fumble recovery in three games. He was the poll's No. 3-ranked player this time last year after he had 17.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, a fumble recovery and 76 combined tackles during the 2015 season.

Tom Savage is taking first-team reps at quarterback for the Houston Texans.

"It's a great opportunity," Savage said Wednesday, per the team's official website. "I hate to say it's special because I have to go out there and I have to earn it every day. It'll be special at the end of the season."

The Texans spent a first round pick on Deshaun Watson.

"I think a little more of it is in the communication, obviously, with some of the guys," Savage said. "When you're a third-string quarterback, you're not really going up to DeAndre Hopkins and telling him how you want a bow route or something. Now communication comes in and you have to be on the same page with all of them. That's what we're working on now."