When the Kansas City Chiefs used a second round draft pick on former Georgia football wide receiver Mecole Hardman, NFL fans assumed it was a strategic selection to replace troubled superstar Tyreek Hill.
Hill, who faced a whirlwind of off-the-field drama this offseason, somehow made it to mid-August un-penalized by the NFL.
However, based on what we’ve seen so far from Hardman, a former five-star receiver out of Bowman, Georgia, Chiefs fans should remain happy with the early draft pick. Instead of replacing Hill with Hardman, NFL fans will get to enjoy an incredibly intimidating Hill-Hardman duo.
Hardman’s draft stock began climbing prior to the NFL Combine, and then his 4.31 40-yard dash generated even more buzz.
During his time at Georgia, his talents were used, but it’s not a stretch to say he was underutilized. The Bulldogs are a run-first team, and Hardman did everything that was asked of him. He did it well, catching 35 passes for 543 yards and seven touchdowns as a junior. Georgia ran the football 567 times last season, compared to 357 pass attempts. Imagine Hardman’s stats had he been on an Ohio State or even Alabama offense last season. You’d be looking at roughly 1,000 yards. Additionally, he averaged 22.65 yards per return (kickoff and punt) with one touchdown last year.
So far, with the Chiefs, Hardman’s been performing well in practice and preseason games. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes has stated that he loves what he’s seen from Hardman, and videos have come out of practice of the two connecting on multiple deep routes.
In his two preseason games, Hardman has produced well, scoring two touchdowns. In his NFL debut, he recorded 2 catches for 31 yards, followed by a 1 reception, 17 yard performance on Saturday. In both games, he scored a 17 yard touchdown.
