Tyreek Hill is the fastest player in the NFL. If you couldn’t tell that by watching him play, the NFL’s high-tech stats confirm it.
The league has released some of the data from its “Next Gen Stats,” including the fastest runs of the 2016 season. And Hill, the Chiefs’ rookie receiver and return man, had both the fastest and the second-fastest top speed in the league.
Hill reached a top speed of 23.24 miles per hour on a Week Two kickoff return that he ran back 105 yards, only to have it called back by a holding penalty. That was the only time all season any player reached 23 mph. Hill also had the second-fastest run of the season, an 86-yard touchdown return in Week 12.
The fastest speed reached by a player not named Tyreek Hill was achieved by Washington receiver DeSean Jackson, who topped out at 22.6 miles an hour on a 59-yard catch in Week 13. The fastest defensive play was made by Vikings cornerback Xavier Rhodes, who reached 22.4 miles an hour on a 100-yard interception return touchdown in Week 11.
The fastest person in the world, Olympic sprinter Usain Bolt, has been timed at over 27 miles an hour, so Hill isn’t quite at world-class speed. But Bolt doesn’t have to wear pads and have people trying to tackle him. What Hill does on a football field is as impressive an athletic feat as you’ll see anywhere.
