The San Diego Chargers boast a strong history when it comes to wide receivers.
From Hall of Famers Lance Alworth and Charlie Joiner to perennial Pro Bowlers such as Wes Chandler, John Jefferson and Anthony Miller to recent stars such as Vincent Jackson, Malcom Floyd and Keenan Allen, few teams have had the talent at the position like the Bolts.
Against all odds, Tyrell Williams is authoring a season that ranks among the best ever by a Chargers wide receiver.
Thrust into a prominent role after season-ending injuries to Keenan Allen and Stevie Johnson, Williams leads the team in catches (53), receiving yards (837) and touchdowns (six) with four games remaining. He's averaging 15.8 yards per catch, has five receptions of at least 40 yards and has scored a touchdown in four straight games.
So just how good has his season been in perspective to the Chargers greats?
A closer look shows he is putting up numbers at a rate rarely seen even with the team's strong history at the position.
Williams is the first wideout since Vincent Jackson in 2009 to catch a touchdown in four consecutive games. Should he grab another at Carolina on Sunday, he'd be the first Bolt since John Jefferson in 1980 to make it five in a row.
Only 163 yards away from 1,000 on the year, Williams is on pace to become only the 15th Charger to ever accomplish the feat. It would be the 36th 1,000-yard season in team history.
Furthermore, if the 24-year old scores 10 touchdowns on the year as well, he'd be the first Charger since tight end Antonio Gates to reach both totals in a season. He'd be only the seventh San Diego wideout to surpass both milestones in the same year, and the first since Tony Martin in 1996.
Williams has rewritten the record books for Chargers wideouts from his very first catch.
After defying the odds to make the Bolts as an undrafted free agent, he appeared in seven games as a rookie last year mainly on special teams. He got his first real opportunity on offense in the season finale in Denver, coming through with an 80-yard touchdown on his first NFL reception. That catch was the longest first reception by a Charger in franchise history, and the longest first catch by any NFL player since 2008.
It's been quite the two year journey for Williams, who is only the fourth product of tiny Western Oregon to make it to the NFL. Williams was a three-time first-team All-Great Northwest Athletic Conference pick over his career with the Wolves, finishing as the school's all-time leader with 165 catches for 2,792 yards and 21 touchdowns. The speedster was also the 200-meter champion at the conference's 2014 Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
Now, less than two years later, Williams' monster 2016 campaign has him in elite company among NFL wide receivers. His 11 receptions of at least 25 yards are the second most in the NFL, one behind Amari Cooper. Meanwhile, his five catches of at least 40 yards are tied with Julio Jones and Odell Beckham for third most in the league, one behind A.J. Green and Sammie Coates.
