King Me: T.Y. Hilton to Win NFL Receiving Title

Dec 11, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indianapolis Colts wide receiver T.Y. Hilton (13) catches a pass for a 35 yard touchdown against the Houston Texans at Lucas Oil Stadium. Houston defeated Indianapolis 22-17. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 11, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indianapolis Colts wide receiver T.Y. Hilton (13) catches a pass for a 35 yard touchdown against the Houston Texans at Lucas Oil Stadium. Houston defeated Indianapolis 22-17. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports /
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Indianapolis Colts wide receiver T.Y. Hilton is set to win the NFL’s receiving title, having 1,448 receiving yards on the season–after the conclusion of Sunday night’s game between the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions.

Hilton finished just ahead of the league’s other elite wide receivers such as the New York Giants Odell Beckham Jr. (1,323), Tampa Bay Buccaneers Mike Evans (1,321), Atlanta Falcons Julio Jones (1,313), and Pittsburgh Steelers Antonio Brown (1,284).

Jan 1, 2017; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indianapolis Colts wide receiver T.Y. Hilton (13) runs with the ball against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 1, 2017; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indianapolis Colts wide receiver T.Y. Hilton (13) runs with the ball against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports /

Along with his 1,448 receiving yards, Hilton also led the Colts with 91 receptions, as well as 6 touchdown receptions.

He joins Reggie Wayne (2007), Marvin Harrison (2002, 1999), Roger Carr (1976), and Raymond Berry (1960, 1959, and 1957) as past Colts receiving title champions.

While the Colts collectively disappointed this season, Hilton was one of the team’s consistent bright spots–providing a go-to target for starting quarterback Andrew Luck throughout the season.

Even though Hilton has been criticized for being ‘too small’ and ‘inconsistent’, Hilton at 5’9″, 180 pounds, was consistently the team’s most dangerous weapon all season–earning a third straight Pro Bowl appearance.

Per Pro Football Focus (subscription), Hilton earned a +87.3 overall grade, which was the 5th best among all NFL wide receivers, which speaks to his high level of play this season.

Despite being heralded as a ‘deep threat’, Hilton also consistently moved the chains for the Colts–playing every bit the part of a possession wide receiver at times for the team. Specifically, Hilton had the 4th most first downs among all of the league’s receivers with 60 total first downs entering this past Sunday’s game.

As one of the team’s highest paid players and a leader of the Colts offense, Hilton raised his level of play this season, as he can arguably be considered among the league’s other elite wide receivers–as the soon-to-be NFL receiving title king.