Gone are the days when Kansas City Chiefs WR Tyreek Hill was referred to as a “gadget player” or “return specialist.” He’s now regarded as one of the NFL’s best receivers, with his most recent praise coming for his play in the slot.
So where does Hill rank among the NFL’s best slot receivers heading into the 2021 NFL season? Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar recently sought to answer that question, ranking the 11 slot receivers in the league. Hill is the first offensive player for the Chiefs to take the top spot at his respective position thus far. Keep in mind that Touchdown Wire hasn’t ranked quarterbacks yet and Travis Kelce came in No. 2 behind George Kittle.
Farrar believes that Hill is at his best when working from the slot and he’s got the data to back it up.
“Defending Hill anywhere on the field has been a royal pain in the posterior for opposing defenders since Hill came into the league in 2016, but he’s especially dangerous as a slot receiver, and just about uncoverable when the Chiefs place him as the inside slot man to the dominant side of the field and run tight end Travis Kelce as the Y-iso receiver to the other side. No fun, that.
Hill’s combination of blazing speed, elusiveness, and route acumen (which he doesn’t get enough credit for) makes him the toughest inside receiver in the NFL.
In 2020, including the postseason, Hill caught 59 passes from the slot on 88 targets for 831 yards, and seven touchdowns. Six of those touchdowns came on passes of 20 or more air yards, and three of those touchdowns came on passes of 30 or more air yards. What does it all mean? From receiver screens to deep overs, once Hill is tracking the ball from the slot, your defensive back is about to have a very bad rep.”
Hill posted a combined 1,631 yards during the regular season and playoffs last year, meaning over 50% of his production came from the slot. His ability to get open and make plays from that spot has become a huge strength of his game over the past few years. Even with NFL teams paying slot defenders a premium, he’s been able to work over some of the best in the business.
Be sure to check out Farrar’s article for a primer on the evolution of the NFL slot receiver and a good example of Hill’s expertise in the slot against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (the regular season and not Super Bowl LV). Chiefs players like Travis Kelce, Joe Thuney, Chris Jones and Tyrann Mathieu have already appeared in this series from Touchdown Wire, covering the best 11 players at each position heading into the 2021 NFL season.
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