Possibly the number one storyline of the Kansas City Chiefs offseason has been which wide receiver will fill the void left by Tyreek Hill.
While the likeliest answer is that a combination of weapons will do this, many have debated who will lead this new-look KC WR corps in terms of yardage. Marquez Valdes-Scantling had the hot start at Organized Team Activities (OTAs), although JuJu Smith-Schuster and Skyy Moore have taken back the spotlight during week one of training camp.
With all these fresh faces, it’s easy to overlook the main holdover of the group. That would be former 2019 second-round pick, Mecole Hardman, and an NFL insider is warning spectators not to dismiss him.
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KC History Could Give Hardman the Advantage
During his weekly mailbag column with Heavy on Sports, NFL insider and senior reporter Matt Lombardo gave his prediction for the Chiefs wide receiver unit.
“Call it a hunch, but I’m incredibly bullish on Mecole Hardman in 2022,” Lombardo began. “Even after the Chiefs signed free agent JuJu Smith-Schuster, one has to believe that Hardman stands to increase his target share following Tyreek Hill’s departure, especially given that he has more experience catching passes from Patrick Mahomes than Kansas City’s two newcomers at the position.”
Experience, trust, knowledge of the playbook — these factors do give Hardman a clear advantage in this discussion. The all-important question will be whether or not the big play threat seizes the moment, something he has not always done throughout his young career.
Lombardo reasoned further, noting that certain analytics do reveal a better 2021 campaign than what the final stat line implies: “Hardman caught 59 of his 80 targets last season, and I’d expect both of those numbers to increase after Mahomes had a 102.8 passer rating when targeting him during the 2021 campaign, according to Pro Football Focus.”
In the end, the insider did agree that a “committee” will be used to “replace Hill’s dynamic game-breaking ability.” However, he wagered that Hardman “could be the biggest beneficiary, especially early in the season.”
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Hardman Believes Hill’s Departure Could Help WRs
On July 22, Hardman sat down with ex-NFL linebacker Bart Scott and ex-NFL QB Robert Griffin III for a segment of ESPN’s “First Take” with Molly Qerim.
“Tyreek literally makes people change their defenses to where you’re going to play 20 yards off,” Hardman explained after praising Hill’s pedigree as one of the league’s top wide receivers, “which affects me as well, it [doesn’t] just affect him.”
.@MecoleHardman4 thinks Tyreek Hill leaving will take his game to the next level with the Chiefs 🤔
“I’m going to show you. … I can take the top off too!”
He continued: “Now, he’s gone, and if a defense feels like they can come and play man-to-man [coverage] or stay at 10 yards and think that’s cool, I’m going to go right by you.”
You could see that Griffin loved the self-confidence from Hardman but Scott pressed him a bit. “They gon’ try you,” the former linebacker challenged.
“If they do, I’m going to show you,” Hardman responded. “I never could show that because I have that guy in front of me… I can take the top off too.”
The Georgia product was always looked at as a scary compliment to Hill out of the draft. Two speed demons in one offense led by Mahomes and Andy Reid? How could the Chiefs be stopped?
The answer took some time, but NFL coordinators eventually came up with the two-high safety shell that Hardman is referring to as the solution, and it did have some success over the 2021 season.
Patrick Mahomes faced two-high safety shells on 92% of plays, the 2nd-highest rate of his career. As a result, Mahomes did not attempt a deep pass for the first full game in his career.
» Mahomes vs Two-High: 29/38, 344 yards, 2 TD (+17.6 passing EPA)
Maybe Hardman is right. Maybe Hill’s departure will bring about the change and growth that this offense needed all along. At this moment in time though, that’s all just talk, the fourth-year wideout has to prove it on the gridiron.
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NFL Insider ‘Incredibly Bullish’ on Chiefs Playmaker