The Kansas City Chiefs got a lot out of their 2019 rookie class, but it appears they’re expecting an even bigger jump from some players in year No. 2.
Mecole Hardman made some contributions on both offense and special teams in his debut season. He played over 44% of the offensive snaps in Kansas City. Comparatively, he played about 30% of special teams snaps, primarily working as a return specialist. His production on offense was quite impressive, with 26 receptions for 538 yards, six touchdowns. In fact, Hardman led the NFL in yards per reception (20.7) among players with at least 25 receptions. On special teams, Hardman had 45 combined kick and punt returns for 871 yards and a touchdown.
It makes sense that the Chiefs would be looking for Hardman to take a leap, specifically on offense, during the 2020 season. But how much of a leap are they expecting exactly? A big enough leap that they’re looking for someone that can carry the mantle on special teams.
Undrafted rookie free agent receiver Justice Shelton-Mosley recently revealed what Kansas City told him they were looking for during the pre-draft process. What they said helped him choose to sign with the Chiefs over starting his post-football career as a banker at Goldman Sachs.
“The Chiefs gave me a call about a week before the (NFL) Draft,” Shelton-Mosley told Vanderbilt Commodores senior editor Chad Bishop. “They said they wanted to find someone to be in the return game and also someone that would be the guy to do the things (Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver) Mecole Hardman does.”
Shelton-Mosley, of course, is a stud return specialist with over 1,000 yards on kick returns across his career with both Stanford and Vanderbilt. But that is a common thread across multiple of the undrafted free agents the Chiefs brought in. Maurice Ffrench, Aleva Hifo, and Kalija Lipscomb all have experience as a return specialist. Andre Baccellia certainly has the vision and speed to work there, though he hadn’t during his college career.
It makes sense if the Chiefs are anticipating a larger role on offense for Hardman in 2020, that the first thing they’d want to do is add a player to take away some of his special teams repetitions. That would help keep his legs fresh for the offense and allow him to get deeper into the offensive playbook. They’d also look to add a player that can perform as a suitable backup were he to get injured. That seems to be exactly what Kansas City sought to do when they brought in a multitude of undrafted free agents at the receiver position.
It might go unsaid by the folks in charge, and the return of both Sammy Watkins and Demarcus Robinson might signal otherwise, but it appears the Chiefs are gearing up for Hardman to do a quite a bit more on offense in 2020. That prospect should scare opponents around the league, adding another consistent speed threat on the field for a greater number of snaps in Kansas City.
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