BUFFALO, NY. (WKBW) — Buffalo Bills wide receiver Khalil Shakir met every expectation and then some this season, becoming Josh Allen's go-to target out of the receiving room.
"For me, it was just put my head down and go to work," Shakir said. "I don’t think I ever changed my approach to any other day to try and do more and get outside of who I am."
821 yards on 76 receptions, both the highest among any pass catcher in the Bills offense. This breakout season may come as a surprise to some outside of Orchard Park, but for head coach Sean McDermott that’s far from the case.
“I think sometimes people mistake discipline for robotic," said McDermott. "He’s disciplined and he’s been a big-time staple of our offense. Not only this year but in the year or two leading up to it as well.”
To better understand where Shakir’s unrivaled discipline comes from we had to head west to Boise, Idaho. The home of the Boise State Broncos, Shakir’s alma mater, and his former wide receiver coach Matt Miller.
“Like the first time you see him catch a ball, you’re like yeah this guy has an innate ability to catch everything thrown his way," Miller said via Zoom.
From the moment Miller met Shakir he knew he had the “it” factor, born from his relentless attitude and the blue-collar mentality fostered on Boise’s famed blue turf.
“Be unassuming, have that chip on your shoulder, be the underdog and all those fruits of your labor are going to come to life by doing it when no one else is watching," Miller added. "And that to me is what Khalil is doing right now. And it hasn’t been going on since last year, it’s been going on since he was a high school guy in Marrietta, California.”
That’s where Shakir, a former running back in the early part of his football career, started to develop perhaps his biggest skill set — the ability to create yards after the catch.
“I was so scared of getting hit I just started running around and my dad took this as like 'Oh my god we may have something here' and all I literally did was just run back and forth and go score because I was so scared of getting hit," Shakir said. "From that point, I think he knew I had the ability to do special things with this game.”
The good news for the Bills is that Shakir doesn’t appear to be afraid of contact anymore which shows nearly every time he steps on the field.
