Kansas City Chiefs: Grading each offensive position in 2019

Wide Receiver

Right now, let’s presume Tyreek Hill will remain with the Kansas City Chiefs.

With that in mind, the Chiefs will return three of their top four wide receivers from 2018: Hill, Sammy Watkins, and Demarcus Robinson. Joining the fray are second-round pick Mecole Hardman out of Georgia and undrafted free agent Jamal Custis out of Syracuse. Gehrig Dieter, Marcus Kemp, and Byron Pringle could also make a play for a roster spot.

Last year, Hill put up dynamic numbers, hauling in 87 receptions for 1,479 yards and 12 touchdown receptions. He also rushed the ball 22 times for 151 yards and one touchdown. After Hill, the team’s wide receiver production dropped precipitously.

Watkins, limited to ten games and nine starts in 2018, his first in Kansas City, caught 40 passes for 519 yards, both of which ranked second for Chiefs wide receivers. His three receiving touchdowns ranked behind Hill, Robinson, and the departed Chris Conley, who signed with Jacksonville in the offseason. (Good riddance.)

To go with his four touchdown receptions, the last of which was Mahomes’ 50th touchdown pass of the season, Robinson caught a total of 22 passes for 288 yards.

The fourth wide receiver spot should go to Hardman, the Chiefs’ first selection in this past April’s draft. Hardman, a former Georgia Bulldog, is a burner who should also help out the Chiefs in the return game.

Other than those four, Custis, Dieter, Kemp and Pringle will all compete for one or two open spots. Dieter and Kemp both had one reception last season for the Chiefs while Pringle recently enjoyed some first-team reps. Then there’s Custis, a 6-foot-5, 214-pound beast who surprisingly went undrafted after grabbing 51 passes for just over 900 yards and six touchdowns as a senior.

Grade: A-

This remains a dynamic crew. And while it hurts a little bit losing Conley, who certainly had a rapport with Mahomes, hopefully a healthier Watkins can make up for that.