Tyreek Hill leaves no stone unturned when it comes to scouting his upcoming opponents on a weekly basis. And he'll even step into the virtual world in hopes of gaining an inside edge. The Dolphins star receiver told reporters on Thursday that he will look at a player's "Madden NFL" rating and skills breakdown the night leading up to their matchup.
"I feel like Madden has a good tell of how good players are," Hill said regarding the iconic video game. "I just play Madden the night before and I go look at all their ratings. Let's say, for instance, they have Steven Nelson and Derek Stingley Jr. [of the Texans] over there. Two phenomenal players by the way. I just get on Madden, I go to the EA rosters and then I scroll down to see what their awareness is, their speed is and their strength and that's how I get a good tell on them."
While a bit unorthodox, it does seem to work for Hill, who is coming off a career-best season in 2022 in his first year with the Dolphins. The 29-year-old continued to torch defensive backs to the tune of 1,710 yards and seven touchdowns on 119 receptions (and likely copious hours of scouting on Madden).
In case you were wondering what the first month of Hill's season (and scouting process) looks like, Miami faces the Chargers, Patriots, Broncos, and Bills through the first four weeks. If we assume those defenses deploy their top corner against Hill, he'll be facing J.C. Jackson in Week 1, rookie Christian Gonzalez in Week 2, and then Patrick Surtain II in Week 3, and Tre'Davious White in Week 4.
In the latest version of Madden NFL 24, Jackson has an overall of 82 with an 87 awareness, 89 speed, and 60 strength. Gonzalez (77 overall) has a 68 awareness, 93 speed to go along with 59 strength. Surtain -- the No. 3 corner in the game currently -- is a 94 overall with 93 speed, 92 awareness, and 63 strength. Finally, White is a 91 overall with 91 speed, 92 awareness, and 75 strength.
As for Hill himself, he is a 98 overall (second best receiver in the NFL) with a game-best 99 overall speed.
