I’m Not Tyreek Hill—I’m the First Jalen Royals

When the Kansas City Chiefs drafted Jalen Royals in the fourth round, the comparisons were instant.

He’s fast. Underrated. Explosive. A smaller-school guy with big-time burst. “He looks like Tyreek Hill,” one analyst tweeted. “Hill 2.0,” said another.

But Royals isn’t here to be a sequel.

“I’m not Tyreek Hill,” he told reporters. “I’m the first Jalen Royals.”

It wasn’t a knock on Hill—Royals respects the former Chiefs superstar deeply. But it was a statement of identity. For a young receiver from Utah State, drafted outside the first three rounds, it would be easy to ride someone else’s blueprint.

Royals has something else in mind: building his own.

His story is full of the stuff coaches love—JUCO grind, self-taught technique, insane work ethic. But what sets him apart isn’t just what he’s overcome. It’s the way he’s doing it—unapologetically, authentically, and with a fire that refuses to copy anyone.

“I studied Tyreek. I studied Odell. But I also studied me,” he said.

In OTAs, Royals has already turned heads. His route-running is clean, his hands sure, and his energy infectious. He’s clicked with Patrick Mahomes in early reps, showing an ability to adjust mid-play—a skill few rookies ever master.

But what stands out most isn’t on tape. It’s in his voice.

“There’s power in being yourself,” Royals says. “I didn’t get here pretending to be somebody else. And I’m not starting now.”

For Chiefs fans still searching for the next big WR identity post-Hill, Royals offers something better: the next great original.