Kansas City Chiefs: Tyreek Hill can be a top tier receiver

The Kansas City Chiefs must identify a new top wide receiver. Despite what some analysts are saying, Tyreek Hill should be up for the job.

The absolute second that the Kansas City Chiefs shocked the world by releasing Jeremy Maclin, every NFL analyst out there went into overdrive in examining the move. It has led to a lot of assertions, many of them bordering on foolish. One line of thinking that is becoming too popular is that Tyreek Hill won’t become a bigger piece of the offense.

Now, overreacting it to be expected. After all, Jeremy Maclin is a well known name from a team that many consider potential Super Bowl contenders this year. He was widely regarded as the best receiver on the Chiefs roster. That was even with a let down year in 2016.

However, I’m going to have to draw the line when I start hearing people say that Tyreek Hill won’t help the Chiefs get over this loss. After all, I’m

pretty sure he was a factor in the decision to let Maclin go in the first place. The thought that Hill is a limited, or “gadget”, player in the KC offense is just completely wrong.

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More Than A Stat Sheet

First of all, you have to look beyond stats when it comes to assessing any player in the NFL. Stat sheet analysis only works for fantasy football. When it comes to the real thing, taking an opinion only from stats is lazy analysis for a professional.

Tyreek Hill brings elite speed and quickness to the field. If he gets the ball in his hands with any kind of space, he is a threat to score. He also has very sure hands, which he has shown not just in short routes, but in down field plays as well. His speed, quickness, and hands instantly make him a potential threat at every level of the passing game.

Hill has also been working at developing his route running. As the 2016 season went on, we could see him start to run more and more routes. He was no longer strictly a screen and go route receiver. He began to show he could run slants and quick ins at the second level. Those are key routes for a wide receiver.

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There is also the ridiculous notion that a player is only what you see in his rookie season. What absolute nonsense. There have been a number of great players who developed over time. There have also been plenty of players who started out strong and then fell off. To declare the limits of a player based solely on his rookie season is a sure way to always be wrong.

When it comes to a player like Tyreek Hill, that’s even more true. It’s not as though he has been playing wide receiver for a long time. Hill only had one season of FBS experience, and he was primarily used at running back then.

The Chiefs brought Tyreek Hill a long way in a short amount of time, and there is absolutely no reason to think that won’t continue to some degree. Will he become a 1000 yard and 10 touch down guy every year? Probably not, but it is foolish to assume that he won’t be a major focus of the offense.

Heck, the Chiefs have already told us that’s what they are hoping for.

The Kansas City Chiefs certainly surprised everyone when they released Jeremy Maclin this weekend. However, it is not as though this team is suddenly without talent. The Chiefs still have on of the top rosters in the NFL and should absolutely look to contend in 2017. Expect Tyreek Hill to be a major part of that.