Bucs Gameday

Buccaneers Wide Receiver Tops Speed Stat Over Miami Dolphins' Tyreek Hill

Bucs wideout Trey Palmer can turn on the jets, and last year, he had a better burst than the NFL's fastest man.

River Wells

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Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Trey Palmer was still developing during his rookie year, and while there were a few bumps here and there, there was plenty to get excited about — and that includes his blistering speed.

NFL Next Gen Stats records a number of different statistics for NFL players every year, and they have a few different stats for wide receiver speed. One of those is burst speed, which they say is a measure of how fast a route runner is in the first second of their route.

Many would probably tab Tyreek Hill of the Miami Dolphins to lead any stat like this, given that he's the NFL's most notorious speedster, but they'd be wrong — according to Next Gen Stats, it's Palmer, who tops the entire list at 9.16 miles per hour. Palmer came in ahead of Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown at 9.11 mph and new Buffalo Bills receiver Curtis Samuel at 9.08 mph. Hill was fourth on the list at 9.03 mph.

Palmer caught 39 passes for 385 yards and three touchdowns in 2023 while also taking three rushing attempts for 22 total yards. He showcased his speed a number of times during the year, perhaps most notably against the Eagles in the Wild Card Round where he was able to separate himself from Philadelphia's defenders with blinding speed to take a touchdown for a 56-yard score.

The Bucs will get Palmer back in 2024 on the second year of his rookie contract, and he'll look to build on his game with the record-setting speed he's already displayed.

You can follow River Wells on Twitter @riverhwells.

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River Wells
RIVER WELLS

River Wells is a sports journalist from St. Petersburg, Florida, who has covered the Tampa Bay Buccaneers since 2023. He graduated with a journalism degree from the University of Florida in 2021. You can follow him on Twitter @riverhwells.