The NFL is a genuinely nasty business, rife with an alarming number of unsavory human beings both on and off the field. The game itself is brutal enough, with gladiators filling each frame with exhibitions of what happens when the human body is pushed to the absolute limit. Such a grotesque game is still subject to the law of averages. Not every coach can be a Belichick or Lombardi. There aren’t more than a handful of quarterbacks with prospects of donning a gold jacket one day. Every wide receiver isn’t Randy Moss or Calvin Johnson, combining formidable size and speed with generational talent.

Incoming rookie Khalil Shakir has no remarkable individual traits, but the man and football player, as a sum of his abilities, will have a lasting impact on the league for years to come.

Shakir was a 4-star prospect from Murrieta in Southern California. His commitment to Boise State began a relationship that molded him into a well-rounded playmaker for the 2022 NFL Draft Class. His inauspicious freshman season paved the way for him to explode onto the scene in 2019 as one of the most dynamic skill position players in the NCAA. His nearly 1,000 yards from scrimmage and nine touchdowns as a sophomore immediately put Shakir in the Mountain West Conference spotlight. Shakir maintained his prominence with 867 scrimmage yards and six touchdowns in a seven-game 2020 season. He was deployed from additional positions in the formation with each game and succeeded as a rusher, receiver, and kick returner. Shakir’s 2021 season was a serious showcase of versatility, with 1,247 scrimmage yards and seven touchdowns, garnering an invitation to the Senior Bowl. Although he is seldom the biggest, fastest, quickest, or strongest player on the field. Khalil Shakir is adept at the game of football.