The Kansas City Chiefs love special teams.
They have one of the most revered special teams coaches in the league, Dave Toub, and in the NFL draft, the team often makes decisions based on special teams ability. If a player doesn’t play special teams, you can expect him to be lower on the draft board in Kansas City.
One of the players the Chiefs have drafted this week is wide receiver Mecole Hardman, and special teams play certainly factored into their decision. The former Georgia player is an extremely talented returner on kicks and punts.
During Brett Veach’s press conference after Day 2 of the draft, he was asked to describe Toub’s feelings on Hardman. Veach revealed an interesting and exciting comparison.
“Dave had the biggest smile in the room,” Veach said. “There were a few returners that we had Dave go out and we do that every year. He came back, and he said Mecole, he thought, was the closest thing to Devin Hester that he’s seen in a long time. He was ecstatic. He is by far the best punt and kick returner in the draft and, again, it’s hard to turn down that kind of speed. When you have a quarterback like Pat Mahomes you want to give him as many weapons as possible.”
To be compared to perhaps the greatest return man in NFL history is something special. When it’s coming from Toub, who was Hester’s special teams coach with the Chicago Bears from 2006-2012, that makes you pay attention.
However, for Hardman this comparison is a little bit more personal than that. We reached out to Hardman to find out how he felt about Toub’s comparison to Hester.
“That’s my favorite player ever,” Hardman wrote. “So to be mentioned with his name is amazing. [It] leaves me speechless.”
Like all young rookies, Hardman is eager to get to work. And with the help of Toub, perhaps this won’t be the last time we hear him mentioned in the same breath as Hester.
