Five best newcomers through first quarter of KC Chiefs 2019 season

NUMBER FOUR – MECOLE HARDMAN

Of all the players on this list, nobody has had quite as crazy of a start to his Chiefs career than Mecole Hardman. When Hardman was first drafted by Kansas City in the second round last spring, many assumed it was to replace star receiver Tyreek Hill.

After Hill was cleared of his off the field issues, Hardman was buried in the depth chart and was expected to not see much action early in the year as he adjusted to the NFL game. This plan was scrapped early in the first game though, as Hill’s injured his collarbone and Hardman was thrust into a larger role.

The results so far have been mixed.

On one hand, Hardman has had solid stats like eight receptions for 167 yards with two long touchdown receptions. On the other hand, he only has four receptions on 12 passes over the last two games.

None of this should really be a surprise about Hardman though, he’s a raw player who the Chiefs knew would take some time to develop after having a very basic role in college. But it should be incredibly encouraging that he has made even this level of contribution and has demonstrated his incredible ability to stretch the field.

With Hill expected to rejoin the lineup in the next few weeks, I really hope we don’t see Hardman’s role diminish too much. Hardman is an electric player who can score on every play. Even if his snaps do diminish, expect to still see Hardman used on gadget plays and special team while slowly earning more regular offensive reps as the season progresses.