Tyreek Hill makes huge jump in the NFL Top 100

Following a season where he had career highs in virtually every category, Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Tyreek Hill finally managed to reach the top 20 in the NFL’s annual Top 100 list.

Hill went from very good to great in 2018. He was fourth in the league in receiving yards and touchdowns, and first in receptions of 20 yards or more. The NFL announced earlier this month that Hill would not serve a potential suspension for off-the-field conduct, and he has since returned to participate in Chiefs training camp.

This year, Hill was ranked 19th — after being ranked 40th in last year’s list. That’s a jump of 21 spots after slipping down from his 2017 rookie ranking of 36th. The massive jump is well earned, as Hill had 1,479 yards and 12 touchdowns on only 87 receptions. Those numbers were good enough to put him in the top five for receiving touchdowns, receiving yards and yards per game.

At 19th, Hill is likely ranked as the fifth-best receiver on the list — behind Michael Thomas (ranked 11th), DeAndre Hopkins (ranked 10th) and probably Antonio Brown and Julio Jones, whose rankings have yet to be revealed.

When most people bring up the best wide receiver in the NFL, they mention players like Brown, Hopkins or Jones. In the upcoming season, the most logical next step for Hill is to definitively insert himself in that conversation as the game’s best wide receiver.

Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, who was ranked 21st on the list this year, similarly had to work his way up the tight end ladder over his career. He worked his way into the conversation about the top five and then the top two — until this year, where his peers ranked him as the best tight end in the league.

Hill is on a similar trajectory — steadily increasing his stats every year. Another career year for Hill would not only strengthen his case as the best wide receiver in football but could also go a long way towards leading the Chiefs to a Super Bowl.