Ever-evolving: Tyreek Hill has adapted to become an elite possession receiver

The Chiefs' star receiver deserves more credit than he's getting for shining in an entirely different role than he's had his whole career.

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Tyreek Hill wasn’t supposed to be great in this way. Because, you know…

“He’s just fast.”

If I had a nickel for every time I’ve heard that phrase regarding Tyreek Hill, I’d be able to permanently relocate somewhere that my face doesn’t freeze when I step outside.

Over the last four seasons, Hill has made the Pro Bowl every year (with All Pro nods in 2018 and 2020, with injury shortening his 2019 season) while putting up borderline comical stats. He (almost) single-handedly turned Alex Smith from a quarterback who almost never threw deep to one of the most efficient deep passers in the league. He’s scored on big plays at a significantly higher rate than anyone else and has been on a historic pace to start his career.

Despite those impressive numbers and his obvious impact on the game, though, Hill struggled (is “struggled” the right word there?) to overcome the narrative that he was nothing more than a speed freak, a deep threat that was a one-trick pony. I heard this so often from various places (fans and media alike) that I actually went out of my way to write about Hill’s development into a fantastic all-around wide receiver in the early days of this substack.

This year, though, things have been different for Hill. Let’s start off with a take and work our way back from there.

Good Morning Football @gmfb

What is the biggest obstacle to the #Chiefs getting a 3rd straight AFC title? @KyleBrandt says it could be Tyreek Hill not being as explosive as he has been in the past.

None of what I’m about to write is a condemnation of Kyle Brandt, who has done a number of segments I appreciate. He’s not the only person I’ve had mention Hill’s lack of big plays, and the point isn’t about an individual doing their job (to offer opinions).

That said, this entire segment stood out as odd to me. Odd in that it was actually doing the exact opposite of what it should be doing, which is praising Tyreek Hill for being wildly successful in a situation that he wasn’t supposed to be successful in. Because that’s what should be happening right now.

Here are some things that we know about the Chiefs this season. First, we know that teams are playing more light boxes against Mahomes and Kansas City than anyone else. We also know that teams are almost never blitzing Mahomes, instead choosing to dedicate their bodies to coverage. Finally, we know that teams are playing extremely conservative shells (whether it’s 2 safeties, cover 3, whatever) over the top of the Chiefs, choosing to take a “don’t let anything get behind you at any cost” approach to an aerial attack that has devastated the league in recent years.

We know all that. And you know what all that should mean? It should mean that Tyreek Hill, the most dangerous big-play threat in the league, should be having a down year.

Except he’s not.

Instead, Hill (along with Mahomes and Andy Reid) has adapted his game to adjust to the way defenses are playing the Chiefs. He finished the season (despite not playing most of the final game and sitting out significant portions of several blowouts) 3rd in the league in catches, and 7th in yards. And even more interestingly, he finished the season tied for 3rd in the league in first downs achieved with 75.

In other words, in a season where defenses have done everything they can to stop what Tyreek Hill does best, he’s become one of the best statistical possession receivers in the league. And not enough people are talking about what a marvel that is. The idea that a player with a singular overpowering trait (freakish speed) has put in the work to mold his game to be whatever the Chiefs need him to be deserves a great deal more attention.

So let’s talk about how Hill has become a fantastic possession receiver, starting with how he still harnesses that unique burst to squeeze yards of plays others could not.

If people are searching for plays where Hill’s absurd acceleration/burst come into play with teams taking away deep shots, this is where you’ll find them. When Hill catches the ball he has to turn and gather himself, and the defender is in a relatively decent position to break down and (in theory) make a tackle for a short gain.

Instead, Hill just… runs away from him. He’s so much faster than his opponent that the fact that the defender is mere yards away doesn’t allow him to lay a hand on Hill. And he does it so quickly that he’s able to reach the sideline and turn the corner. A catch that should be a short gain turns into a first down, and if it weren’t for the help over the top (this is part of why safeties are so important against the Chiefs) it could be a huge touchdown.

Hill has been making plays like this (turning short gains into longer ones) all season, and it’s something that doesn’t necessarily show up in the stats sheet consistently. He’s capable of almost anything once he has the ball in his hands, and wrecks angles so often that it’s become old hat to those who watch the Chiefs week in and week out.

This is another short gain that becomes longer due to Hill’s unique traits. Hill catches the ball underneath and it’s a race to the sideline. There are a pair of defenders who should have good angles to the sideline, with a 3rd present to help prevent a cutback.

The deeper defender doesn’t appear to realize just how fast Hill is and takes a perfectly reasonable angle to the sideline. After a few yards, though, it becomes clear that he’s not going to be able to beat Hill to the spot. He tries to correct his mistake too late as Hill hits that “this is weird” gear, and Hill is able to get around him for a first down.

Yes, it’s only the difference of a few yards here, but that’s “first down vs no first down” yardage. It’s also an example of the way Hill has harnessed his quickness/acceleration in a new role with an offense that is operating differently, and remained an elite weapon in said offense.

Hill has also developed into a very underrated route runner (we’ve covered this ad nauseum, but it continually gets overlooked). He looks different than other receivers with the way he moves, but because of the threat of his speed and his ability to start and stop in a way that almost looks like it’s CJI, defenders aren’t able to hang with him throughout routes.

Hill has learned how to press cornerbacks and use their own leverage against them, and he’s become very adept at creating separation on faster routes. Because defenders have to respect his ability to run past them, he’s able to force them into bad spots and then cuts faster than they can. There’s nothing the defender can do here, because he has to respect Hill going to the corner. He tries to keep from flipping his hips, but it’s the only way to keep up and then it’s over.

Having superior change of direction ability combined with elite speed and acceleration basically unlocks a cheat code in route running that allows Hill to be great without having to be perfect. What’s more important for him is how far he’s come in learning where to move to manipulate defenders before he makes his cut.

On this crucial catch against the Chargers in overtime, Hill showed off the traits that have made him such a dangerous possession receiver. There’s help underneath along the interior, but his defender is giving a great deal of cushion off the line (another cheat Hill often has baked in due the threat of him over the top).

Hill is running an out past the sticks, but with the defender initially starting off with outside leverage he knows he needs to lure him inside. A quick jab step inside is enough to do the job, and as the defender commits with a single step Hill is already turning back outside. His routes tend to be rounded, but they’re SO FAST that it doesn’t really matter most situations. Just like it doesn’t matter here.

It’s possible that one reason people don’t view Hill as a high-level route runner is because of that tendency to round those routes. But he shakes free consistently using his unique “one million steps” style of striding, and it’s important to look at consistent results as more important than what the process is supposed to look like.

Another area Hill is vastly underrated as a route runner is his understanding of the need to vary his speed throughout routes to locate and stay in open spaces.

This is a fun concept with Kelce and Hill on the same side of the field running in routes at slightly different levels that puts stress on the defender in the area. He has to pick one, but instead freezes (a fair reaction) and both are left open. But it’s worth noting how similarly Hill moves to Kelce, one of the best and smartest route runners in the league.

Hill doesn’t sprint all the way through his route. Instead, he sees where the defenders are and slows down once he’s turned to look for the ball. This places him wide open and ready for a pass without any defenders in the area or any defenders right in front of him. Reid counts on his receivers to understand how to bend and alter their routes around zones, and Hill has learned to do it very well.

It’s interesting when people talk about Hill as though he’s just a pure athlete when so much of what the Chiefs do relies on spacing and timing, and the receiver knowing where to be so Mahomes can put the ball on a spot.

Mahomes consistently relies on Hill to be in the right spot. This is something that gets overlooked as people talk about Hill’s ability on “schoolyard” plays (which is certainly exceptional), but it’s that sort of timing and precision that allows him to be an elite contributor in an offense that has been forced to take the short (or at best, intermediate) routes time after time).

Hill’s impact on the Chiefs’ offense is almost impossible to overstate. In addition to all the ways he’s winning on his own as a receiver, he forces teams to narrow their options in coverage simply by being on the field. In addition to every opponent (for the most part) choosing to keep their secondary playing deep shells (a sign of respect for Mahomes as well, certainly), the threat of Hill draws defenders towards him wherever he runs on the field. And when defenders are left without help over the top, they’re almost always forced to play him in a way that invites quick, easy wins for the offense.

Snaps like this will never not be funny to me. The cornerback knows he’s alone on an island, and so on 2nd and 6 he gives Hill almost 10 yards of cushion and STILL starts off moving backwards in an effort to not get dusted. Hill threatens a couple of steps down the field and then plants and turns, and it’s an easy first down for Kansas City.

Tyreek Hill’s production this year isn’t something that should be looked at as a reason to question how good he is as a player. It’s something that should be celebrated as yet another reason to view him as one of the game’s very best receivers. There are very few wide receivers who could seamlessly transition to the most dangerous deep threat in the league to one of the most dangerous possession receivers in the league, but he’s done it tremendously.

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