Tyreek Hill

Hill's first season outside the friendly confines of Kansas City ended with career highs for targets, catches and yards, with the former Chief catching 70 percent of his chances for 10.1 YPT even though starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa took only two-thirds of Miami's snaps. Talented teammate Jaylen Waddle also had a hugely efficient year, buoyed by the long-distance touchdowns that are Hill's trademark, but the fleet-footed veteran ultimately drew 53 more targets than his half-a-step-slower running mate. Perhaps that gap closes this year as Waddle enters Year 3, but even then it's not like the Dolphins have a dominant TE, pass-catching back or strong No. 3 receiver to siphon targets. They did add slot specialist Braxton Berrios this offseason, potentially a minor upgrade on last year's third receiver Trent Sherfield. On the other hand, Berrios might see more work on special teams than offense, and coach Mike McDaniel solidified his preference for blocking tight ends by replacing Mike Gesicki (Patriots) with former Broncos backup Eric Saubert. The only real concern for Hill is Tagovailoa's injury history, and that was already a problem last season without dragging the wideout's stats down.

Unwilling to meet Hill's price in extension talks, the Chiefs pivoted to a blockbuster deal that netted five draft picks. At age 28, entering his seventh season, Hill will get his first NFL experience outside Andy Reid's system, working with new Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel, who previously helped San Francisco's Deebo Samuel become a dual-threat superstar. Hill doesn't figure to have that kind of impact in the running game, but he'll surely get some carries in addition to running a diverse route tree. He's best known for big plays, and still has a claim on being the league’s fastest man, but Hill actually did a lot of his damage on short throws last season with opponents playing more conservative coverages. He finished with career highs for catches and targets, easily, while his yards per catch and yards per target were his fewest since his rookie year (also by a wide margin). Hill's average target depth, 10.4 yards, was still reasonable by the standards of most wideouts, but it was a noteworthy drop after back-to-back seasons at 12.9. Perhaps that's a sign of how he'll be used in Miami, but it's also possible Hill focuses more on deep routes, as the Dolphins have solid alternatives in Jaylen Waddle (another one of the NFL's fastest players), Cedrick Wilson and TE Mike Gesicki. They also signed LT Terron Armstead to anchor a previously suspect O-line in front of third-year QB Tua Tagovailoa, whose development will be crucial to Hill's value.

There’s never been any doubt about Hill’s efficiency — he’s eclipsed 9.5 yards per target every year since he broke out in 2017 — but his volume was usually modest, due to injuries and the variety of weapons on the Chiefs. But the two times Hill has cracked 135 targets, first in 2018 (1,630 scrimmage yards, 14 total TDs) and now in 2020 (1,399 scrimmage yards 17 total TDs, despite sitting out Week 17) the results have been massive. At 5-10, 185, Hill is arguably the fastest player in the league — he ran a 4.24 40 at his Pro Day in 2016. But Hill is also as quick as he is fast, and almost impossible to corral in open space. The Chiefs even use him in the running game, and he’s had six rushing TDs in his career, a bonus that’s projectable. And even though Hill is small, the Chiefs use him from in close — 12 targets from inside the 10 (T-5th) and six inside the five (T-12th). He returns in 2021 with Patrick Mahomes as his QB and Andy Reid as his head coach, and at age 27 there’s no reason Hill should slow down. Travis Kelce will absorb a large portion of the team’s targets, but Mahomes finished last season fifth in passing attempts (588) and inside-the-10 attempts (46), despite missing Week 17, so there’s plenty to go around.

The good news was Hill wasn't suspended last year. The bad - he missed nearly five games with a shoulder injury and had to play without superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes for two and a half more when he returned. When he played, Hill was his usual superstar self, averaging 9.7 YPT and catching six passes of 40-plus yards on only 89 targets. At 5-10, 185, Hill is small but blazingly fast - 4.24 40 at his pro day - and as dangerous as anyone in the league in open space. He was rarely used in the red zone (seven targets in 11 full games), but he still scored seven times, thanks to his deep-ball prowess and ability after the catch. It's almost unfair one of the league's fastest and most agile receivers would be paired with the quarterback who has the biggest arm and is the best at keeping his focus downfield while escaping the pass rush. Moreover, Hill usually supplements his production with rushing stats, but last year had only 23 yards on eight carries after hurting his shoulder Week 1. With a clean bill of health, don't be surprised if he's more involved again on gadget plays. The only question for Hill at this point is volume. All-world tight end Travis Kelce is still there, Sammy Watkins restructured his contract to stick around and fellow speedster Mecole Hardman could see his role grow. But even on a modest (for his talent) 137 targets in 2018, Hill was the league's WR1 in non-PPR.

On the field, Hill's 2018 production was superstar level - 10.8 YPT (2nd), eight catches of 40-plus yards (1st), 17.0 YPC (2nd) and 12 touchdowns (4th) on 137 targets (11th). Undersized at 5-10, 185, Hill is arguably the fastest player in the NFL and its most dangerous in open space (he ran a 4.24 40 at his pro day). Hill dropped nine passes, but some of those were from long range - his average depth of target was 14.8 yards (3rd). And despite his diminutive stature, he saw plenty of work in the red zone - 16 targets from inside the 20, seven inside the 10 and four inside the five. When you're getting the easy ones from in close and can also strike from long range like no one else in the league, the result is double-digit scores. Hill also has NFL MVP Patrick Mahomes under center in Kansas City and Andy Reid designing the offense. All-Pro tight end Travis Kelce, who often lines up in the slot and runs short and intermediate routes, is Hill's perfect complement. As training camp approached, the NFL concluded that an investigation into off-field allegations regarding Hill didn't provide enough evidence to conclude that the wide receiver violated the league's personal conduct policy. He's now eligible to participate in all team activities, including regular-season games.

People were puzzled when the Chiefs released their No. 1 outside receiver Jeremy Maclin last year. Now we know why. Despite playing with a QB known more for avoiding errors than generating big plays down the field, Hill led the NFL with nine catches of 40-plus yards on only 105 total targets (T-29th). Not surprisingly, he also led the league with 11.3 YPT and was sixth with 15.8 YPC. At 5-10, 185, Hill is small but lightning quick, as dangerous as any player in the league in open space, and reportedly ran a blistering 4.24 40 at his college pro day, i.e., he's arguably the fastest player in the NFL. The downside for Hill is his lack of red-zone work - only four of his targets came from that area, so he has to do his damage from distance. While he managed seven TDs on a modest target total, there's far more variance when you're reliant on 40-yard TDs than when you post up at the goal line for short tosses. Accordingly, unless the Chiefs target him more from in close - something that's unlikely, given the presence of elite TE Travis Kelce and other bigger receivers like newly signed Sammy Watkins - Hill could range anywhere from four to 10 scores in 2018, the same way DeSean Jackson has during his career. Hill might see a slight boost to his stats as a gadget-play rusher, though last year (17 carries for 59 yards) he was far less successful in that role than in 2016 (24-267-3). Of course, the biggest wild card for Hill is the loss of QB Alex Smith, who despite his reputation for caution took advantage of Hill's skills. Second-year man Pat Mahomes is less polished, but he'll buy extra time with his athleticism, and he has a cannon for an arm, making Hill a good bet to lead the league in big plays again in 2018. Just don't expect a spike in volume, as Watkins will almost certainly see more targets than the departed Albert Wilson.

The cautionary comp here is Cordarrelle Patterson, a dynamic, versatile rookie that turned out to be everything except a competent wide receiver. Apparently, coach Andy Reid isn't concerned -- this spring he said he'd like to get Hill more targets, and why not? Hill scored 12 times despite totaling only 107 touches from scrimmage last season, and while almost all of his pass-catching opportunities came on short throws, he impressively hauled in 61 of his 83 targets (73 percent, 6th). Hill also had 24 carries for 267 yards and three touchdowns, with another trio of scores as a return man. At 5-10, 185, Hill is small but reportedly ran a 4.24 40 at his Pro Day, and he's as quick as anyone in the league. The Chiefs apparently have high hopes for the second-year speedster, who likely will take over as the team's No. 1 wide receiver after Jeremy Maclin was cut in June. TE Travis Kelce could be the primary pass catcher, and fellow wideout Chris Conley also figures to benefit, but Maclin's release still speaks volumes about Kansas City's confidence in Hill. And while his size might serve to limit his red-zone opportunities, Hill did draw 15 targets in the area last season, though he converted only three into touchdowns. The only downside is that his role on special teams likely will be scaled back.

Character issues led to a big drop in the NFL Draft but Hill ran a blazing self-reported 4.24 40-yard dash at his Pro Day and has impressed early in camp. The rookie was listed as the team’s top punt returner on the initial depth chart release, but seems unlikely to see consistent playing time on offense this season.