Mecole Hardman 2023 Outlook
Hardman said he found the Jets an “attractive” option even before the team acquired Aaron Rodgers during the offseason. And why not? New York’s receiver room also features Allen Lazard, a one-time Rodgers favorite in Green Bay, and reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year Garrett Wilson. “They got a great foundation here and they got some nice pieces,” Hardman said. To be an asset himself, Hardman must regroup from an injury-plagued 2022 that saw him play just eight games for the Kansas City Chiefs. His final action of the regular season before a return for the AFC Championship game proved to be Hardman’s best effort, as he recorded season bests of six receptions and 79 yards in a Week 9 overtime win against Tennessee. Hardman also was targeted nine times, another season high, and closed the regular season with touchdown receptions in four straight games. Potential owners should remember Hardman also can be explosive in the return game, should the Jets utilize him there, as the Chiefs did. He also looms as a threat on jet sweeps.
Mecole Hardman 2022 Outlook
When the Chiefs traded Tyreek Hill to the Dolphins in March, the club created a significant void within its receiving corps. But even without Hill, head coach Andy Reid said that he's not expecting there to be too many changes within Kansas City's offensive scheme. "I don't think it'll be significantly different," Reid said. "Normally what we do on this is we try to play to the players' strengths the best we can. So we'll see with some of the new guys what they can do and then we'll work around that. ..." One of those players could be Hardman, who Reid said the team has a lot of confidence in. But Hardman, who is going into the last year of his contract, has never been close to Hill's production -- in no small part because Hill was a part of the same offense. The only games in the past three seasons that Hill missed due to injury were early in Hardman's rookie season (Weeks 2-5), so there isn't a great comparison in how the former Georgia receiver has performed sans Hill in the lineup. In three seasons in K.C., Hardman has generated 1,791 yards on 126 receptions with 12 touchdowns. Last year he netted a career-high 59 catches for 693 yards with two scores. Hardman set career highs last season with 59 receptions and 693 yards while also recording a pair of touchdowns.
Mecole Hardman 2021 Outlook
Hardman has heard the talk after two NFL seasons: The only thing he has going for him is his 4.33 speed. He’s made it clear that he's bothered by the suggestions he's something less than a complete receiver. "I can really run routes," Hardman said.. "That kind of makes me mad when people say, 'Oh, he's just a deep ball threat.' People have the misunderstanding that I can't run routes. I'm very capable of running every route on the tree." That may well be, but the Chiefs haven't shown the same confidence in Hardman yet. He's been a part-time player since the Chiefs drafted him in 2019. If the Chiefs do truly agree that Hardman is more well-rounded and not just a threat on deep throws, jet sweeps and end arounds, it may be time for them to prove it. For the team in 2020, Sammy Watkins and Demarcus Robinson were second and third behind Tyreek Hill in snaps played; Watkins is now gone, and the Chiefs invested second-round draft capital in Hardman to be an eventual starter. He'll certainly get a chance this year to be an every-down receiver. But fantasy managers should draft him more with hope than expectation.
