I have already covered the curious case of Kansas City Chiefs return man De’Anthony Thomas, and what happened with the Oregon Duck in his rookie year.
With Thomas back on the field through OTAs and mini-camps it has been good to see him return to football. However, there might be yet another training camp battle to watch for at the end of July. Who will be returning punts for the Chiefs.
Assuming Thomas is back to his old self, and it seems like he is, he should be tops on the roster for punt returns for KC. Thomas displayed what he brings to the table with the first punt return he ever touched in a game for the Chiefs.
However the rest of the season would not go as well for Thomas. He did have one more punt return for a touchdown against the Oakland Raiders which was exciting. Unfortunately, a concussion against the San Diego Chargers left Thomas on the sidelines for the rest of 2015.
Enter in the Chiefs’ most controversial draft pick, Tyreek Hill. Flash forward to minicamps and coaches and reporters alike say there has been one pretty outstanding rookie wide receiver/return man, and that is Hill.
Hill boosts crazy fast speed and the ability to juke any player out of their cleats when returning the ball take a look at his epic return in college against in state rival the Oklahoma Sooners…
You have to admit that is impressive to watch. Hill is a little bit bigger, and faster than current returner Thomas, but what stands out for him is how much better a receiver he is.
"“You can’t overthrow him,” quarterback Tyler Bray said. “You can see on film the defensive backs are playing off of him. I would play off of him. He’s so fast. We’ve got certain plays called and the [cornerback] might be 10 yards off. I still might throw it deep to him. He’s got unbelievable speed."
HIll has been turning a lot of heads in mini-camp making it his own personal highlight reel, but is it all for nothing? Right now there is no hitting, and no pads, so there is nothing hinder him in the way of using that break away speed, no bump, no press nothing, and Hill knows this too.
"“It doesn’t mean [anything] because no pads,” Hill said. “Any fast guy can do it. Everybody reads articles on fast guys making plays. So we’ve just got to wait until camp to see what’s up.”"
He seems almost a little humble, thinking he makes these plays but until the pads come on and he finally starts to get hit a little to see if his speed and capabilities are truly as high praiseworthy as they are right now.
One thing is for sure; Hill and Thomas could be in a much heated competition for not only a return spot, but for a receiver position as well, something Thomas has been working on. Thomas still has the jet sweep and the short passing plays that seemed designed specifically for him; but you can be sure that the more Hill impresses the coaches the more heated this competition will get.
What do you think, Addicts? Do you think there is a little competition between these two players? Who do you think might win that? Let us know in the comments below.
Thanks for reading.
GO CHIEFS!!!!