Tyreek Hill is widely considered the fastest man in the NFL.
On Monday, he had some thoughts for one of the fastest men in the world, USA Olympian and professional sprinter Noah Lyles.
Tyreek Hill on Racing an Olympian: ‘I Will Beat Noah Lyles’
In a segment on Kay Adams’ show, “Up & Adams”, Adams asked Hill what he thought about the fact that Lyles lambasted American sports teams for calling themselves “world champions” when they win their respective leagues.
Specifically, Lyles remarked: “I have to watch the NBA Finals, and they have ‘world champion’ on their head. World champion of what? The United States? Don’t get me wrong, I love the U.S., at times, but that is not the world.”
Hill was unenthused by Lyles’ comments.
“For him to do that and say that we’re not world champions of our sport … just speak on what you know about. And that’s track.”
Adams then upped that ante by asking Hill if he’d like to race Lyles, and Hill didn’t miss a beat.
“I would beat Noah Lyles. No, I wouldn’t beat him by a lot, but I would beat Noah Lyles.” the All-Pro receiver announced.
6x All Pro and SB Champ Tyreek Hill responds to Noah Lyles comments about Super Bowl winners not being "World Champs"… 👀🔊
"Come on bruh, just speak on what you know about and that's track… I would beat Noah Lyles (in a race)." @cheetah @heykayadams @MiamiDolphins… pic.twitter.com/E6zQ9EgEBX
— Up & Adams (@UpAndAdamsShow)
Immediately following the viral comments, some fans and analysts threw their support behind Hill in his quest to defeat a gold medal winner. However, others were not so sure.
Tyreek Hill would smoke Noah Lyles and it wouldn’t even be close in my humble opinion pic.twitter.com/CFVzndmmW2
— liv (@livmoods)
One fan who also works with young athletes in track and field pointed out the massive difference between Hill’s numbers and Lyles’.
“Tyreek Hill 10.19 IS NOT CLOSE to Noah Lyles 9.79”.
🚨REMINDER🚨
In a race, if there is 0.2 to 0.4 seconds between two ppl, it’s not close.
The math me say it, but the distance is large.
Below: Usain 9.58, Tyson 9.71, Asafa 9.84
In track, this is a GAP.
With that being said, Tyreek Hill 10.19 IS NOT CLOSE to Noah Lyles 9.79! pic.twitter.com/NgVpH1Nr8n
— DJ Brock (@CoachDJBrock)
Breaking Down the Numbers: Lyles vs. Hill
Lyles won two medals at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, snagging gold in the 100-meter sprint with a time of 9.79 seconds, a personal best. He also secured a bronze medal in the 200-meter sprint with a time of 19.70 seconds.
Hill was himself a track and field star in high school. At the 36th Golden South Classic in Orlando, Fla., he notched a time of 10.19 seconds in the 100-meter and a then-personal record in the 200-meter of 20.14 seconds.
Of course, since then, he’s become one of the most prolific wide receivers in recent NFL history, and the most dangerous aspect of his game is widely recognized to be his speed.
Ahead of the 2016 NFL Draft in which Hill was selected by the Kansas City Chiefs in the fifth round, he ran a blazing 4.29-second 40-yard dash at his Pro Day and has hit speeds of up to 23.24 miles per hour during his NFL career, according to Next Gen Stats.
Lyles, on the other hand, reportedly reached a top speed of 27.09 mph during his 100-meter run at the Olympics.
Whether Hill’s lightning-quick résumé is enough to put him on par with the current Olympic gold medalist is up for debate — or better yet, up for the two athletes to settle on the track.
Every second — rather, millisecond — counts in a race like this, as we saw in Paris. Lyles won his 100-meter sprint by just 0.005 seconds — a fraction of a fraction of a second.
The idea of a football player, an athlete who spends a substantial portion of his time working on skills other than speed, beating an Olympian who spends all day every day training to shred fractions of seconds off his time might be hard to swallow.
And while Hill’s historical numbers are legendary by NFL standards, they’re not a great indicator of his ability to beat Lyles when compared side by side with the Olympian’s stats. But maybe, just maybe, on a good day for Hill and a bad day for Lyles, the Cheetah could put up a fight.
Hill is certainly leaning into the challenge. “I like me in a race 2028 I’m running,” the wideout later posted.
I like me in a race 2028 I’m running.
— Ty Hill (@cheetah)
Either way, there’s no doubt that a Hill-Lyles race would be must-see TV. Maybe we can get RedZone/Gold Zone extraordinaire Scott Hanson on the call?