These NFL writers believe Chiefs’ Mecole Hardman is poised for a breakout season
By nearly any measure, wide receiver Mecole Hardman had a solid rookie season with the Chiefs.
Hardman caught 26 passes for 538 yards and six touchdowns. Eighteen of his receptions went for a first down (69.2%), and he returned a kickoff for a touchdown, too.
Oh, and Hardman also helped the Chiefs win the Super Bowl. His kickoff return against the Texans in the divisional playoff game at Arrowhead Stadium started the rally from a 24-point deficit.
Hardman is just 22 years old, and some NFL writers believe he’s set to have a big season in 2020.
Charles McDonald, a senior NFL writer for the Daily News, wrote a story Monday with the headline “Mecole Hardman is ready to break out in Year 2 with the Chiefs.”
This is an excerpt of what McDonald wrote: “Hardman averaged a whopping 47.8 yards per touchdown catch last season. Most of his catches came in situations where he was put in advantageous position to use his speed on the edges of defenses or deep down the middle on shot plays. ...
“Obviously, it’s great to have the speed to take advantage of these plays. It would be better if Hardman was a more skillful route runner to consistently create separation for himself. As a rookie, Hardman got a lot of use as a gadget player, but he has the athletic ability to take his game to the next level as a legitimate receiver.”
Scott Pianowski, a Yahoo Sports fantasy writer, tweeted this last month about Hardman:
Adam Rank of the NFL Network has been doing a “State of the Franchise” for each team, and he listed Hardman as the Chiefs’ “Projected 2020 breakout star.”
This is part of what he wrote about Hardman: “He averaged a whopping 20.7 yards per reception on 26 grabs. He had five touchdown catches of 40-plus yards last year and the average distance of his TD grabs was 47.8 yards. You could say he’s already broken out. But it’s the Chiefs, so give me a break. All of these guys are good.”
Kevin Cole of Pro Football Focus tweeted that Hardman could be a top-10 talent:
This story was originally published June 22, 2020 at 9:57 AM.
