Tyreek Hill makes a notable omission on his all-time receivers list

With 8,340 career receiving yards, seven Pro Bowl nods and four First-Team All-Pro selections, Dolphins receiver Tyreek Hill is well-versed when it comes to assessing wideouts. 

For this reason, NFL Network asked Hill to rank his all-time top five wide receivers for a segment on Wednesday’s “Inside Training Camp Live.” Unlike Steelers wideout George Pickens, who included Michael Crabtree in his top five, Hill didn’t include a seemingly ridiculous selection in his rankings. However, Hill’s list did omit one notable legend.

After arguing that many receivers could have had better careers if their situations were better, Hill narrowed down his list to Hall of Famers Terrell Owens, Calvin Johnson and Randy Moss, along with Antonio Brown and Torry Holt. The first three candidates are valid selections, as are Holt and Brown, who both may someday be inducted into Canton, but neither rival Jerry Rice, the league’s all-time leading receiver. 

Before he could be asked to defend his selections, Hill quickly offered an explanation as to why he left Rice off his list. 

“A lot of people get mad at me because I don’t put Jerry Rice in my category,” Hill said. “I love Jerry Rice, he played a long time in the NFL. He’s like the alpha of our position. He wasn’t playing in the sweet spot where I was able to watch. I was able to, in my rookie year, watch prime A.B. go out there and go for like 200 [yards].”

While Hill took a more humble approach to his rankings, excluding himself, if he achieves his ambitious goal for the 2023 season, next year’s list could look quite different. During his interview, Hill doubled down on last month’s claim that he’ll become the first player in NFL history to record 2,000 receiving yards in a single season. 

“My job is really easy; I just got to stay healthy,” Hill said. “I just got to keep my attention to detail and just know where to be at on the field at all times for my quarterback. Then I’ll be able to make those plays to get where I want to be at, which is 2K.”

Hill’s health will obviously be a key factor in his pursuit of a historic season, but he’ll also need quarterback Tua Tagovailoa to follow suit. Considering Tagovailoa’s lengthy injury history, which included two confirmed concussions and one suspected concussion last season, keeping him healthy might not be as straightforward as it sounds. 

If both of Miami’s stars can stay healthy, it’ll still take an extraordinary effort from Hill to even come close to cracking 2,000 yards. Last season, Hill recorded a career-high 1,710 receiving yards, 1,408 of which came from Tagovailoa’s throws, or 108.3 yards per game. If Hill maintains that pace this season, assuming both he and Tagovailoa play 17 games, he would still only finish with roughly 1,841 yards. 

Although if Hill were to accomplish such a feat, the Dolphins would likely be in a position to clinch a spot in the postseason and perhaps win their first playoff game since 2000.