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After his record-setting performance in Week 12, it shouldn't come as a surprise that Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Tyreek Hill leads the NFL in receiving yards.
Given his prominent role in the Chiefs' high-powered offense, it shouldn't come as a surprise that Tyreek Hill leads the NFL in receiving touchdowns.
It might, however, come as a surprise that the NFL's most potent deep threat does not lead the NFL in yards per catch.
Through 11 games, Tyreek Hill has amassed an NFL-best 1,021 receiving yards. He is the first receiver in the league to crack the 1,000-yard mark this season. He also leads the league with 13 touchdown catches.
On Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Hill caught seven passes in the first quarter for 203 yards and two touchdowns in the first quarter. He finished the game with 13 catches for 269 yards and three scores. In the process, Hill broke Randy Moss' NFL record for most career TD receptions of 40-plus yards. Hill has 24 of those, and he's only 26 years old in his fifth pro season.
Because of his big-play ability, it would seem like a safe bet that Hill is the NFL's leader in yards per catch. In fact, he ranks "only" 16th in that stat category among players with enough receptions to qualify. Hill averages 15.0 yards per reception. (Green Bay Packers' receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling is the league leader at 20.7 yards per catch.)
Hill's teammate on the Chiefs, tight end Travis Kelce, is second in the NFL in receiving yards with 978. Arizona Cardinals wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins is third with 967 yards. Washington's Terry McLaughlin and Buffalo's Stefon Diggs round out the top five.
Tyreek Hill's NFL growth from returner to receiver
Hill was a football and track star in high school who enrolled at Oklahoma State University to compete in both sports. But he was dismissed from the Cowboys' football and track teams during his freshman year following an arrest for domestic violence.
Hill left Oklahoma State and transferred to West Alabama to play football, where he finished his college career. He entered the 2016 NFL Draft and was taken in the fifth round by the Chiefs.
In his first two NFL seasons, Hill was voted to the Pro Bowl as a kick returner. In Year 3, he made the Pro Bowl as a receiver and was named All-Pro as a receiver and as a "flex" position player. He caught 87 passes for 1,479 yards and 12 touchdowns that year. He also ran for a TD and had a punt return for a TD.
In the 2019 season, Hill helped the Chiefs win a Super Bowl championship. He's grown from a return specialist to a legitimate No. 1 wide receiver for a team that could repeat as Super Bowl champions for 2020.
