Prior to the 2020 NFL season, the staff at RADIO.COM Sports came up with our consensus list of the top 25 players in the league. Kansas City Chiefs star Tyreek Hill came in at No. 23, and in my analysis of the blazing wide receiver, I argued that he should have been higher up — he obviously was higher than No. 23 on my personal list.
My reasoning was simple: there literally is no one as fast or explosive as Hill in the league, meaning at some point, he will get open. It's impossible for the defense to stay with him the whole time, especially in single coverage, and for that reason alone, he's arguably the most dangerous weapon that any quarterback has at his disposal.
That was at the start of the regular season. And at the end of the regular season, which saw Hill's Chiefs fo 14-2 — which very well could have been 15-1 had Andy Reid not rested the starters against the Chargers on Sunday — All-Pro tight end Travis Kelce is echoing that sentiment regarding Hill's dominance.
"He's the most unstoppable player in the National Football League," Kelce told Shannon Sharpe on the "Club Shay Shay" podcast. "If you don't have two guys on him on every pass concept, it's liable to be a touchdown... those 60-yard, 70-yard bombs that just take the wind out of you. And what he can do, [he's] the most dynamic football player I've ever seen.
"You talk about track speed: there's been plenty of guys who have run 4.20s in the National Football League. But this guy, what he can do with the ball in his hands outside of just his speed, [to] be able to hit somebody with a hesitation and hit the sideline. Being able to route up a cornerback who has to — they have to take the stop off the D, they have to play deep — for him to be able to understand how teams are playing him and mentally still get open and still have the success he's (having)... I don't think that guy gets enough credit."
He sure got credit, though, for putting up one of the greatest performances we've ever seen against the Buccaneers in Week 12, finishing the first quarter — yes, quarter — with 203 yards and two touchdowns.
When he's not entertaining with backflips, though, he's continually blowing the minds of his teammates who still have a hard time grasping just how fast Hill can go.
"I'm telling you, it never gets old," Kelce said of Hill's acceleration. "I'll tell you what, it blows my mind every single time I see it happen. The last time it happened was in Miami, he got a little jet sweep because, you know, get him on the perimeter, right?
"It amazes you every single time [as does his] development into being the best wide receiver in the National Football League. Every single game, the accountability he puts on himself. He's really creating his own new route tree because of how fast he is. Most os his routes are 20 yards downfield. I tell you, if I get 20 yards downfield, that ball better be out now... Pat doesn't have that much time. Tyreek, he just makes four or five moves 20 yards downfield, and you just can't cover that. The stress he puts on the defense is second to none."
Hill finished eighth in the NFL with 1,276 receiving yards — ironically, 140 yards behind Kelce himself, who ranked second — and landed in the top 20 in yards per reception with 14.7. And thanks to all the big plays that leave no defenders between Hill and the end zone, Cheetah ranked second in the league with 15 receiving touchdowns, trailing only Davante Adams.
With the trio of Mahomes, Hill and Kelce locked up for at least the next two seasons beyond 2020, there's no reason to think that the Chiefs' offense can't continue to post it's league-best numbers and carry the team to more Super Bowl appearances in the coming years.
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