Stephen A. Smith compares Tyreek Hill to Michael Jordan - “He cannot be defended one-on-one”

Tyreek Hill started small as a late-round pick, but now has used a Lombardi Trophy and the 2022 season to elevate himself up the ladder. Heading into 2023, analyst Stephen A. Smith compared the wide receiver to one of the greatest athletes of all time: Michael Jordan.

Here's how he put it in a statement made on ESPN's "First Take:"

"Tyreek Hill, to me, is the most electrifying receiver in football. He cannot be defended one-on-one. He is scary, okay? And I think he creates fear in the opposition against a lot of people. I use the LeBron-Jordan analogy."

He continued, explaining why fans shouldn't mistake his comments as a comparison to LeBron James:

"LeBron is profoundly respected, an all-time great. But there's a level of fear you had going up against Jordan that you didn't necessarily have going up against LeBron. That is how I look at the cheetah, Tyreek Hill, as a wide receiver compared to other wide receivers in football."

Tyreek Hill screams to the top of the NFL pecking order

The Cheetah at New York Jets v Miami Dolphins

Hill was drafted in the fifth round of the 2016 NFL Draft. His first year in the league was a great one by those standards, but he went relatively unnoticed as the Chiefs supplanted the Broncos for AFC West supremacy. However, the following year, he hit a bar that scores of first-round wide receivers never reach.

.@stephenasmith believes Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle are the BEST WR tandem in the league 👀 pic.twitter.com/JoLSGmBa4a

It was the first of five seasons of at least 1,150 yards in his career. However, the best year of his career didn't come until after hoisting his first Lombardi trophy. After getting the boot from Kansas City via trade, the wide receiver was pegged by many to fall short of what he accomplished in the midwest.

Instead, he led analysts to wonder if Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes had held him back. At the end of the 2022 season, he had earned 1,710 yards and seven touchdowns. Of course, his resume isn't spotless.

"Tyreek Hill is Damian Lillard waving goodbye to people as he's blowing by them. ... Tyreek Hill, to me, is that dude."

—@stephenasmith pic.twitter.com/9b6jJEKBws

In 2019, the wide receiver missed four games due to injury. Considering his 5-foot-10 frame, some worried that his smaller size would be he undoing after the injury-affected season. Since then, however, his attendance has been nearly perfect. At 29 years old, he has one more season before hitting the scary age of 30.

Could Tyreek Hill reach even greater heights before that happens?

If any of the above quotes are used, please credit First Take and H/T Sportskeeda.