Tyreek Hill is regarded as one of the fastest players in the NFL. In fact, in 2022, Tyreek Hill was the fastest wide receiver in the league. It is no wonder he goes by the nickname, the Cheetah (although to be fair, he gave himself that name, and he probably regrets it after his citation for speeding in his vehicle).
It is Hills’ speed and skill that makes him one of the most dangerous weapons in the NFL. Let’s explain why. Although, we are pretty positive you probably already know.
Why Tyreek Hill is so Fast
There hasn’t been an official record made of his speed, but Tyreek Hill has an unofficial 40-yard dash time of 4.29 seconds, by far one of the fastest in the NFL.
It is Tyreek’s build that helps here. At 5 foot 10, he is shorter than most of the other players on the field. He weighs in at just 190lbs too. He has a low center of gravity, which allows him to have an explosive amount of speed.
According to Tyreek, he is naturally fast. Of course, he has worked hard to get even faster. Most of his time in training is spent drilling his speed. On top of this, he spends a lot of time building up his leg muscles. This lets him get enough force to get a good push-off when he runs.
His physique helps as well, on the rare occasion that other players can get close to him. He has quite a compact build. Couple that with his agility, and he can easily avoid most interceptions.
His Speed
In 2022, Tyreek Hill hit a whopping 22.01mph on a 64-yard sprint, managing a touchdown at the end of it.
It is actually his speed that caused a little bit of controversy around the 2024 Paris Olympics when Tyreek Hill claimed that he could probably win the 100 meter dash, or at least beat Noah Lyles. We won’t get into that controversy, but suffice it to say, Tyreek Hill probably couldn’t. He might have a decent go at it, though. He is fast. It’s just Noah Lyles is about 7mph faster.
What we can say is that, in the NFL, Hill is fantastic on the breakaway. If you get the ball to him and his team are going to do their best to get it to him, you’ve got a tremendous chance of him getting it up the field.
The speed of Hill means that he has absolutely no issues avoiding the opposition on the passing plays. There is little to no chance of anybody getting close to him. He knows exactly how to find the space.
That being said, Tyreek Hill has been outpaced a few times this season. He doesn’t seem as fast as he used to be. Although, we think that is more down to how the Dolphins are playing. He can still be fast if needed.
It’s the speed that really does make him the secret weapon for the Dolphins. If a play requires him to get up the field, he can do it. If a play requires him to get the ball into space and away from the opposition, he can do it. We’ve seen so many players try to catch him, and they just can’t.
His Skill
Throughout his career, Tyreek has scored 534 points. Though, scoring has been somewhat sporadic with the Dolphins since they captured his signature, in comparison to his playing days with the Kansas City Chiefs, despite playing broadly the same number of games per season. Still, there are many reasons behind this, and it isn’t necessarily a reflection of his skill.
Where Tyreek Hill shines is his ability to get into whatever space is needed. If you watch him on the field, you’ll see he has a habit of being able to slide into spaces that other wide receivers could only dream of. This has allowed the Miami Dolphins to get a bit more creative with their passing plays. We’ve seen them make unexpected magic on the field, and the opposing team rarely knows what hit them. This is all thanks to Tyreek Hill.
To be honest, his stats for 2024 don’t tell the whole story of just how good he is. So far, he is ranked 22nd for number of receives, 25th for relieving yards (286 yards), and in 80th for average receiving yards. However, due to his speed and his ability to slide into those gaps, Tyreek Hill works best with those shorter receives, and his teammates can feel confident knowing he will get it up the field and where the ball needs to be.
That being said, when it comes to receiving yards, he is the best of the best. Tyreek Hill is one of only two players to have more than 2 150 yard Playoff games.
The Weapon
There you have it. That’s why Tyreek Hill is the most dangerous weapon in the NFL. Couple his explosive speed and his ability to read the game, and you have a player who is nearly unstoppable. He hasn’t quite hit the heights he did in the early part of his career thanks to a change in the way the Miami Dolphins play, but, if they need him, they can feel confident knowing that if Tyreek Hill is thrown the ball, he will gain a good chunk of receiving yards and may even score a few points.
We Wouldn’t Bet Against Tyreek Hill
If we were betting on the NFL, we wouldn’t bet against Tyreek Hill in any battle for speed. If the Miami Dolphins are facing off against a team with a notoriously slow defense, then expect Hill’s speed to win every single time. He can even beat the fastest defenses. We don’t think he is being used to his full ability right now, but we know that if the Dolphins ever shake up the way they play, they have the best wide receiver in the league at their disposal.