Another day, another Pro Football Focus graphic showcasing Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Tyreek Hill.
Wednesday’s depicted the top three passer ratings across the league in 2017 when WRs were targeted.
The Pittsburgh Steelers’ JuJu Smith-Schuster came in first (134.0), followed by Hill in second (130.5) and the New Orleans Saints’ Ted Ginn Jr. in third (126.9).
It is well known now that 2017 was the best year of Alex Smith’s career, as he set career-highs in passing yards (4,042), touchdowns (26) and passer rating (104.7). He also had the league’s best adjusted completion percentage on deep balls:
As we all expected coming into the season, Alex Smith the best adjusted completion percentage on deep (20-plus yard) passes#PFFElitehttps://t.co/ZwaFEQuRuR pic.twitter.com/bAXIC7iRsk
— Steve Palazzolo (@PFF_Steve) January 3, 2018
The question that remains is how much exactly did Hill have to do with that success?
We at AP already believe Hill is an elite wide receiver, but I think we stand to find out more information regarding his true QB impact in 2018.
Hill will be with Patrick Mahomes, who will start a full season for the first time in his career, while Smith’s No. 1 receiver (as the Washington Redskins stand now) is downgraded to Jamison Crowder.
The year-to-year difference in numbers, along with how drastic that difference is, should be telling.