Which Mecole Hardman Will KC Get In 2021? -

The early returns from wide receiver Mecole Hardman have been hit or miss for the Kansas City Chiefs. The former second round pick from the 2019 NFL Draft has struggled to carve out a clear role in Andy Reid’s offense. Meanwhile, the opportunities have been granted to the Georgia product.

In two seasons so far, Hardman has played just under half the snaps on offense (45 percent of the snaps in each campaign). His special teams snaps increased by a slight margin as well. Therefore, his offensive chances appeared to be less of a focus in 2020. This is quite surprising, given another year of Sammy Watkins missing games due to injury.

In the six contests that Watkins missed, Hardman saw an additional 21 targets in the passing game. He converted that to 15 receptions. However, his production was less impactful overall for the Chiefs offense. Yes, the receiving yards were barely up from 538 to 560. Hardman saw significant decreases in yards per reception, yards per target and touchdowns.

So, this leads into our question for today. What kind of player will the Kansas City offense get from Mecole Hardman in 2021? Will he take the significant steps needed, in order to become a future focal point for Patrick Mahomes? Or, will another depressed impact lead to the Chiefs getting impatient for that future role?

Building Upon Traits

When Mecole Hardman entered the NFL, you could definitely tell that there was a great deal of rawness to his game. Does he have elite speed? Absolutely, as the receiver has recorded a 40 yard dash in the 4.2 second range. Hardman has not always utilized that elite quickness to his advantage, however. At the same time, he saw a dip in explosive plays in 2020 compared to his rookie season in 2019, as mentioned above.

From a physical standpoint and what we can see on the field, there are a few things that Hardman still needs to improve on or tighten up in 2021. The route tree is still fairly limited. When discussing this, there is a difference between being able to run every route, and running them in an effective way.

Overall, I would say Hardman was much more crisp and well rounded in his routes, cuts or breaks as a rookie in 2019. It felt more like he was just trying to beat the opponent to a certain spot or area on the field in 2020. Rather than stacking defenders or breaking down opponents’ surface areas, Hardman usually made rounded, jagged cuts.

Finishing Will Be Key

Another area of his game that must improve, is being able to finish routes. This once again seemed to be less of an issue in his rookie 2019 season. There was a clear difference in how Mahomes prioritized him early during the rep in certain matchups. Elsewhere, Hardman never received a look to go his way. This has been largely due to him stopping short on routes recently.

Finally, winning more consistently in the deeper parts of the field will make a significant difference. Mecole Hardman was a legit vertical threat to teams in his rookie campaign. But in 2020, the explosive plays were largely reduced to design touches on pop passes or end arounds. Being able to find that ability of threatening defensive backs down the field and actually stressing their cushion on a consistent basis, will lead to more prime opportunities for Hardman.

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Mental Preparation

Focusing on the physical details and improvements may not be that difficult. Though for Hardman, could the mental preparation actually be of greater importance to him in his development?

According to former All-Pro wide receiver Brandon Marshall, Mecole will need to better his “mental training.” The former NFL vet of 13 seasons mentioned how the game is “80 percent mental.” Marshall believes players do not do enough to double down on mental training or placing themselves there mentally.

To add to Marshall’s point, there has been a lack of focus at times from Hardman. We saw the fumbling issues continue to arise late last season during punt return attempts. To boot, his kick return attempts were cut by two-thirds the amount that Hardman had in 2019. Being able to go from good to great requires tremendous focus in those crucial moments.

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Hardman’s teammate, Tyreek Hill, talked about Mecole and how he cannot solely rely on speed. “It’s all about mindset. I feel like if he continues to do what he has been doing in the past and works his butt off, he’s going to be amazing. There is no ceiling for this kid. I feel like he’s definitely a 1,000 yard receiver every year- with the targets, obviously. He’s just got to continue to work. He’s got to be different. He’s got to find something to be different at every year. It just can’t be speed.”

Hill’s improvements are well documented. He is more than just a “speed guy”, and his transitions from where he was at entering the league are truly substantial. Possibly, that same sort of reinvention can be achieved by Mecole Hardman. Training the mind will play a major part in that, however.

Hardman’s Role

The role that Mecole Hardman fills in Kansas City is fairly limited. He is a slot only wideout, who is likely best suited for the WR3 spot on the depth chart. How much of a stronghold does he have on that spot?

Given the recent departure of Watkins in free agency, it is likely pretty high for Hardman. Yet still, the Chiefs have brought in a much more diverse set of wide receivers entering 2021. They were not comfortable enough to go after clear cut roles this offseason when building the team.

The play and skill set of 2021 fifth round pick, Cornell Powell, is extremely unique for his body type. The team could also find more consistency in the slot with guys like Antonio Callaway or Daurice Fountain. It is simply a big if for them, when making the Chiefs 2021 roster. Nonetheless, the team has clearly brought in more challenging competition for Hardman this time around.

Be on the lookout for more of our FPC Chiefs articles. For more great sports and NFL content, stay tuned to Full Press Coverage.

– Braden Holecek is the Kansas City Chiefs managing editor for Full Press Coverage. He covers the NFL. Like and follow on Follow @ebearcat9 //platform.twitter.com/widgets.js Follow @FPC_Chiefs //platform.twitter.com/widgets.js and Facebook.