The Big Race: Tyreek Hill vs Noah Lyles

• Olympic sprinter Noah Lyles and Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill will race
• It will settle their playful(?) social media back-and-forth as to who’s faster
• The date/time/site are TBD and there’s a good chance it will not happen at all
• Odds are already posted and the debate is just getting started

Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill and gold medal Olympic sprinter Noah Lyles have agreed to race to settle a friendly(?) and longstanding social media duel between the two regarding who the faster sprinter is.

The race (if it happens) is set to take place in the spring or summer. Expect an intense negotiation as to the distance, the rules, the compensation, and the network that gets the broadcast rights.

The odds are already posted:

Brief Bios of the Participants

Hill will turn 31 on March 1. He is widely regarded as the fastest player in the NFL. He is an 8X Pro Bowler, a 5X All-Pro, and a one-time Super Bowl champ. If he retired today, he would already be all but guaranteed induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Lyles will turn 28 in July. He set the American record for the 200m sprint. He won a gold medal in the 100m sprint 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. In addition, he has won three world championships. He competes in the 100m, 200m, and the 4x100m races.

How This Came About

The two posted on social media about the other, their footspeed, and what would probably happen in a race.

After months of this, they have finally decided to settle it. Those who are under the impression that this is a case of a transcendent star in one sport (Hill) thinking their athletic ability can translate to another and they can compete with one of the best in the world in their domain (Lyles) need to know that Hill was a top-tier competitor in track and field and as recently as 2023, won a USATF Masters race:

It certainly is not a case of delusional egomaniacal thinking, “I can run fast and can therefore compete with an Olympic track star.”

Hill can compete with Lyles and, had he pursued it, would likely have been an Olympic medalist himself. Past NFL players have pursued track and field and vice versa. Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive back Rod Woodson qualified for the trials for the 1984 Olympic hurdles but chose football instead. Renaldo Nehemiah was an Olympic-caliber sprinter and hurdler whose Olympic hopes were lost when the U.S. boycotted the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow. Nehemiah spent three years in the NFL with the San Francisco 49ers and won a Super Bowl ring. He caught 43 balls and scored 2 touchdowns in 40 games despite not having played college football.

Reversing roles, could Lyles succeed as a receiver in the NFL?

The short answer is no.

There is a significant difference between being the fastest person alive on a track and running routes, eluding defenders, absorbing hits, and having the hands to catch a spinning football. Athletic ability is one thing, training and experience are another. Lyles has never played football.

Sprinters have turned into great receivers. Pro Football Hall of Famer Cliff Branch was a world-class sprinter at Colorado. He did play football but only caught 36 balls over 21 games in two seasons. He rushed for 354 yards on 31 carries. Once he got to the NFL as a member of the Raiders, he looked to be a bust, catching 3 balls as a rookie and 19 as a sophomore. However, his “bad hands” were not because he couldn’t catch the ball, but — as fellow Hall of Fame receiver Fred Biletnikoff pointed out — because his eyes were bouncing from running so fast. Once he slowed down just enough to keep his eyes on the ball, he started catching it.

Assessing the Race (If It Happens)

Expect tough negotiations as to the parameters. As the odds reflect, a shorter race of 60 yards or less is the levelest ground. If it is 61-99 yards, Lyles is heavily favored, but Hill could win. More than 100 yards and Hill will almost assuredly lose.

A later post will discuss why this race will probably be called off with Lyles trying to save face and not look like he’s backing out for fear of losing.

Objectively, an Olympic sprinter who has been training toward that goal since childhood has the advantage over an NFL player no matter how fast that player is. Still, the odds for a 60-yard race — which is the likeliest distance if they really want to see who’s faster — are essentially even, so it’s worth it to take Hill.