Kansas City Chiefs: Comparing Tyreek Hill and Dante Hall

Comparing the two dynamic playmakers

So how do these two players relate to each other? Why should we be comparing a player with only two years under his belt to one of the most dynamic return men in NFL history?

Tyreek Hill and Dante Hall came onto the scene out of nowhere. Neither players were highly touted coming out of college due to controversy. No team wanted to take a risk on a player who was kicked out of a program for disobeying team policy, or a player who had a domestic violence charge against him. But both players had skills that made them hard to pass up. Tyreek Hill was so versatile in college, taking reps at wide receiver, running back and on special teams. Dante Hall had the same ability, being able to line up behind the quarterback or spread out wide and go down the field. Versatility is becoming more and more valuable in this league, and Hall and Hill are just two examples of this.

While Hall only has 54 rushing attempts in his career, the Chiefs would still use him there to be able to spread the offense. This versatility is more applicable to Tyreek Hill, as he has already proven himself to be able to play nearly all of the skills position on offense. However, both Hall and Hill have been used extensively to confuse defenses and to give the offense a greater potential to push the ball down field.

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Of course, speed is the biggest common factor between Tyreek Hill and Dante Hall. Hill unofficially ran a 4.24 40 yard dash at his pre-draft pro day, which would have tied the record set by Chris Johnson in 2008. This kind of speed makes any NFL scout’s mouth water, which is what attracted the Chiefs to Hill so much. Dante Hall did not run the fastest 40 yard dash time, but he did post a 3.82 second 20 yard shuttle time, good for sixth best all time. This shows a different kind of speed in lateral quickness, which is what made Hall such a shifty returner. Each of these players showed scouts an ability that stood out above everyone else, despite their negative baggage. The Chiefs took a chance on them both, and it paid off in the long run.

What makes a great return man is his ability to read an opening, or his vision. Speed helps, but if you can’t anticipate an opening following a block, it doesn’t matter how fast you are. A returners vision is what allows him to shoot a gap and make a big gain.

Tyreek Hill is excellent at not just racing down the field, but also reading an opening and shooting into a gap opened up by a blocker. His punt return against Oakland in 2016 is an excellent example of his vision. Right when he caught the ball, Hill turned his eyes down the field and hesitated until he saw an opening develop. As soon as he saw that—boom, gone in a flash.

The same can be said with Dante Hall. He was not as fast as Tyreek Hill is, however, he had fantastic vision and ability to read the coverage down field. This is what allowed Hall to execute with the kind of lateral quickness that he showed at the NFL combine. Agility gave Hall the opportunity to create, even if it seemed like there wasn’t anything there in the first place.

Take Hall’s punt return in the Rams game against Dallas. He catches the ball, and right away uses his shifty jukes to make a man miss…then another…then another…then another…and then two more. He made six people miss and by using his agility and vision created an opening behind his blockers. Touchdown.

A Legacy in the Making

These two electric players are still very different in their own respects. Dante Hall had a much quieter career in the passing game, as Tyreek Hill has already surpassed him in career receiving yards. Hill has also gone for big plays all over the field, at the running back position, the receiver position and at returner, whereas Hall has really only been effective as a return man.

Tyreek Hill has eye-popping speed. Dante Hall has jaw-dropping agility. Both used those two qualities to be successful, and both used them in different ways. Hill has been able to beat a lot of defenders based solely on his speed. In 2017, the Chiefs were able to go deep to him on post-routes seemingly every game because Hill would be able to beat his man with speed alone. Dante Hall was able to beat defenders by using his jukes and moves. The nickname “The Human Joystick” didn’t just come out of nowhere. Many of his returns left everyone watching in a daze, as the things he did were things only seen in video games. NFL fans were left stunned after watching both of these players, but for different reasons.

The controversies, the speed, the vision and the versatility. These are qualities that can make or absolutely break a star player, and one can only hope that the controversies go away. Hall had his career already, and proved to everyone the kind of player that he was: poised and positioned to be great. He had shown a different kind of ability not seen before, and he will be known as one of the greatest returners in the history of the league for a long time.

Hill may yet have some more proving to do, however. While he has shown his skill as a speedster and receiver, there will always be critics that will be hesitant to give him their respect. But Hill has had an electric career so far, and from here it may just take off even more. “The Cheetah” will continue to torch defenses and score touchdowns and may just earn the respect that he deserves.