KC Chiefs: Tyreek Hill’s growth curve is amazing to consider
By Matt Conner
At this point, Tyreek Hill is a household name even for casual sports fans. The fastest man in the NFL. The greatest downfield threat in the game. Even Sean Payton called him the single most dangerous offensive weapon in the National Football League.
Given Hill’s consistent dominance in recent years—to the tune of five Pro Bowls in his first five seasons, only one of 33 NFL Players to ever do that at any position—it makes sense that we just take it for granted. Hill is great. No explanation needed. In fact, that’s the expectation at this point, that Hill will dominate lesser defenses and/or open up opportunities for his teammates in ways few athletes can.
This league-wide reputation is well-circulated at this point and this offseason, filled with its lists and rankings, has been no different. Recently Pro Football Focus ranked the Top 50 NFL Players heading into the 2021 regular season and they placed Hill at No. 18 overall. Yahoo! Sports followed suit with a list of the best outside wideouts in the game, and of course Hill was listed.
The rise of Tyreek Hill to greatness is one of the NFL’s best stories of the last five years.
In short: If there’s a ranking, Hill is on it.
What is forgotten in all of this is just how far Hill has come in his career. It’s easy to forget his origins, his criminal background, the early categories into which analysts tried to place him, the hard work he’s put in to rise above the expectations for a diminutive fifth-round selection. The rise of Tyreek Hill to greatness is one of the NFL’s best stories of the last five years.
If you’ll remember, Hill wasn’t even the first wide receiver taken on Day 3 of the 2016 NFL Draft by the Kansas City Chiefs. Instead, that honor goes to his (still) current teammate Demarcus Robinson, who was a promising wideout from Florida who fell due to character concerns. Hill was a small-school prospect out of West Alabama who was taken as a fifth round flyer, the sort of pick that is declared a success if he can just make the team and offer some special teams reps.
From there, Hill instantly became a scoring machine in all phases of the game. In his first game, he caught a nine-yard touchdown pass and showed the special sauce he brought on returns in his second pro game. He had touchdown returns in Weeks 11, 12, and 17, and had another 9 touchdowns through the air and on the ground in 2016. His instant impact in all phases of the game made him an immediate hero as a gadget sort of player.
Credit the Chiefs for their vision at this point. They could have easily kept Hill as a player with a dual role on offense and special teams for whom they would manufacture touches, but instead, they believed in his ability to truly be an elite wideout outside, a player who could take the top of defenses series after series with improved route-running and experience.
Fast forward another year and Hill defied the odds given his size and made the leap. He put in the hard work necessary to grow as a player and never stop. A player with his God-given speed could rest on his laurels, even at the pro level, and carve out a niche for himself. Instead, Hill pursued greatness and got it with a breakout season in 2017 with 1,173 receiving yards on 75 catches.
Since then, we all know the story. Hill broke the Chiefs single-season receiving record in his third season with the Chiefs, his first year with Patrick Mahomes under center. He even made the Pro Bowl in 2019 despite missing a handful of games due to a broken clavicle. Last year, Hill put up a ridiculous 17 total touchdowns and led the league in yards/touch for the second time in his five-year career.
Off the field attempts to ruin his character have not worked. Pigeon-holed categories have not held him. Even his own criminal background—for which he has acknowledged and owned and served his punishment—has not stymied him. Hill’s ascent to his current role as the Chiefs top wideout is amazing to consider and it’s exciting to think about the body of work he’s capable of putting together.