Tyreek Hill is changing expectations for Chiefs receivers

The Kansas City Chiefs haven’t exactly been brimming with receiving talent since head coach Andy Reid came to town.

I’d even argue that One Arrowhead Drive hasn’t been a fertile environment to cultivate the few gifted players they’ve had at the position. Reid’s West Coast system has been notoriously unwelcoming to young receivers. That reality conveniently complicates the process of measuring the development of those players. How does a coaching staff identify the root cause of struggling receivers when the demands of Reid’s system are so rigorous at that spot?

2016 draftee Tyreek Hill may have that answer, and it’s one Chris Conley and Albert Wilson won’t like. It had been a foregone conclusion that young receivers simply don’t make an immediate contribution in Kansas City. With limited snaps, he’s become the team’s fourth-leading receiver. Just three yards separate him and Conley — the man just above him on that list.

Hill’s done that with seven fewer starts this season. Coming into the season, it was the former Georgia Bulldog who everyone expected to step forward. Though, through the midway point, all eyes have been on Hill.

His play through nine games, has put pressure on the other players at his position group. Particularly, those with fewer than three seasons of NFL service time. Make no mistake, player development in the National Football League is not a zero-sum game.

The fact that Hill’s quickly become an asset to Kansas City’s offense shouldn’t strip other inexperienced receivers of the time they need to develop. Players mature at different times in this league, however, his ability to produce in such a short time might force Chiefs brass to reconsider their evaluation of that process.