Mecole Hardman inherits a golden opportunity with the Chiefs
By Scott Loring
Andy Reid sees a prospect like Mecole Hardman and his mouth begins to water. The Chiefs head coach is widely known as one of the most innovative and productive offensive minds the game has ever seen.
While Tyreek Hill’s status hung in the balance all summer long, Reid did everything he could to prepare for an offense without Hill. We’ll probably never know what the initial plans were for Hardman if Hill had indeed been released or suspended, but there’s a very good chance he spent much of his time learning Hill’s role as the Z receiver.
Reid has always believed in players who can operate in open space and get to the edge. Pundits on a national level salivated over Metcalf for his combination of size and speed, but Hardman offers an element of speed and elusiveness that was second-to-none in the draft. Upon further review, Hardman is the right fit for what Reid tries to accomplish on offense, with his ability to stretch the field as well as create plays in the screen and drag game. As a weapon in the open field with world class speed, Hardman was created for Reid’s scheme.
The summer months unfurled and Chiefs Kingdom waited eagerly to see the team take the field.
Pundits speculated endlessly about what would happen with the Chiefs’ All Pro receiver.
Reid just kept scribbling in his playbook.
As the Hill saga unfolded, the three-year veteran was cleared of any criminal wrongdoing. Suddenly, Hardman went from potentially being thrown into the fire to a high-ceiling reserve with time to learn under Hill and sixth-year man Sammy Watkins. Hardman spent most of training camp in a lower-leverage role where he was able to absorb the playbook on a rookie timeline.
Hardman’s comfort was evident in the preseason. He electrified the Arrowhead crowd as he blazed his way untouched to a 17-yard touchdown reception on a jet toss from Kyle Shurmur. He also became Dave Toub’s new toy. As evidenced at the Jaguars, Hardman earned the first team kick returner role, and made his presence known with a 27-yard return on the season’s opening kickoff. He also fielded a punt after Hill left the game.