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I examined T.Y. Hilton's route tree and the type of routes he runs in games. I watched 5 of his games (Panthers, Broncos, Falcons, Buccaneers and Steelers) and I observed only the plays where he was targeted. I also noted the route he ran, included the depth.
Hilton's route tree in those games look like this:
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Here's a breakdown of the routes he ran, his reception percentage and his target percentage.
Reception Percentage = Receptions/Targets
Target Percentage = (Number of targets on a specific route)/(Total number of targets)
|
Route |
Number of Receptions |
Number of Targets |
Reception % |
Target % |
|
Go/Fade/Seam |
3 |
8 |
37.5% |
23.5% |
|
Short In (Less than 8 Yards) |
0 |
0 |
0% |
0% |
|
Deep In (More than 8 Yards) |
0 |
2 |
0% |
5.9% |
|
All Ins |
0 |
2 |
0% |
5.9% |
|
Dig |
2 |
2 |
100% |
5.9% |
|
Short Out (Less than 8 Yards) |
3 |
3 |
100% |
8.8% |
|
Deep Out (More than 8 Yards) |
0 |
3 |
0% |
8.8% |
|
All Outs |
3 |
6 |
50% |
17.6% |
|
Short Hook(Less than 8) |
3 |
4 |
75% |
11.8% |
|
Deep Hook (More than 8) |
0 |
1 |
0% |
2.9% |
|
All Hooks |
3 |
5 |
60% |
14.7% |
|
Comeback |
1 |
2 |
50% |
5.9% |
|
Slant |
3 |
5 |
60% |
14.7% |
|
Post |
0 |
0 |
0% |
0% |
|
Corner |
0 |
0 |
0% |
0% |
|
Cross |
1 |
1 |
100% |
2.9% |
|
Slice |
1 |
2 |
50% |
5.9% |
|
Screen |
0 |
1 |
100% |
2.9% |
|
TOTAL |
17 |
34 |
50% |
|
On plays he was targeted, he played 26.5% of those plays on the left side of the line and 73.5% on the right side of the line.
What can we take away from his route breakdown?
He ran go/fade/seam routes the most (23.5% of the time) and caught 3 passes. That stat confirms that Hilton is a dangerous deep threat receiver. He was also good on slant routes. He was targeted on slant routes 14.7% of the time. On those routes, he showed a good understanding of reading defenses and knew where to sit down in zones. Here's an example of that:
Here's Hilton running a slant. He reads the zone defense, he spots the opening & sits down. Easy catch. #Colts https://t.co/dGvswhpa49
— Andrew Aziz (@AndrewAzizSB) June 7, 2016
Hilton was also targeted a lot on out routes (short and deep) (17.6%) and hooks (14.7%). He didn't have any catches on deep out patterns due to poor passes from Matt Hasselbeck (who has arm strength issues), so having a quarterback with a strong arm will certainly help on those deep out passes.
This breakdown tells us that Hilton is able to run a variety of routes. While 55% of his targets have come on three patterns (go's/fades/seams, outs and hooks), he has proven to be effective on digs and other patterns that cross the middle of the field. He is still improving as a route runner, but it's clear that he's an effective #1 receiver who can run most routes and beat you deep. Securing a higher percentage of his targets (only caught 51% of his targets) and being used on even more types of routes will be key for his development.