Tag: kc chiefs news

Watch: Mecole Hardman and Tyreek Hill race

Watch as former UGA football WR Mecole Hardman races his Chiefs teammate Tyreek Hill race at Kansas City training camp.

We finally have video of former Georgia Bulldog Mecole Hardman racing his teammate and fellow wide receiver Tyreek Hill.

The football world has often wondered who would win a race between Tyreek and Mecole, who are considered two of the NFL’s fastest players, since Mecole entered the league.

While at Kansas City training camp on Saturday, they squared off in a 40-yard race.

There was some debate over who won the race, though.

Hardman said that Hill won, however, Hill made a tweet claiming that Hardman had won.

 

Based on this video posted to Hill’s Twitter page, it looks like he beat the former Georgia Bulldog in the race.

Hill also posted the video to Instagram, and Hardman responded by saying that he nearly pulled his hamstring trying to keep up.

Chiefs WR Mecole Hardman has ‘no ceiling’ according to Tyreek Hill

KC Chiefs WR Tyreek Hill says ‘there is no ceiling’ for former Georgia football WR Mecole Hardman in his 2nd year in the NFL.

Former Georgia Bulldog wide receiver Mecole Hardman had a breakout rookie season in the NFL playing for the Kansas City Chiefs.

Hardman was drafted by the Chiefs in the 2nd round of the 2019 NFL Draft and did not disappoint.  He caught 26 balls in 2019 for an average of 20.7 yards per catch.  He also pulled in 6 touchdowns in the slot, one of three receivers to do so last season.

Hardman showed off his incredible speed to the entire league and helped the Chiefs win Super Bowl 54 in his rookie year.

 

Kansas City’s star wide-out Tyreek Hill spoke to the media on Friday about his teammate and his potential going into his second year.

“Well, I think Mecole is going to continue to be a heck of a player,” Hill said. “But 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.” Hill is one of the best receivers in the league and is most definitely the quickest.  He talked about how Mecole’s abilities go far beyond just his speed and route running.

“There is no ceiling for this kid.” said Hill. “I feel like he’s definitely a 1000-yard receiver every year, with the targets obviously. But he’s just got to continue to work. He’s got to be different, he’s got to find something to be different every year. It just can’t be speed, it can’t just be relying on route running. Sometimes there’s going to be a contested catch. Sometimes you’ve got to get off a jam [at the line of scrimmage]. You’ve got to work on those things. I feel like he is going to work on those things because he wants to be great and he wants to be a part of this offense. He likes the challenge, so he’s going to be great.”

Mecole made some incredible plays connecting with Chiefs’ quarterback Patrick Mahomes in the 2019 season.

 

It will be exciting to watch Mecole in the coming years as he has already achieved what most football players strive for their entire careers in just his rookie season.

Expect a bigger role for Chiefs WR Mecole Hardman next season

The KC Chiefs are looking to expand the role of former Georgia football WR Mecole Hardman in the 2020 NFL season.

Justice Shelton-Mosely, an un-drafted rookie free agent receiver out of Vanderbilt, recently spoke to Vanderbilt Commodores senior editor Chad Bishop about what the Kansas City Chiefs said to him during the pre-draft interview process.

“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.”

Former Georgia Bulldog Mecole Hardman had a huge rookie year for the Super Bowl champion Chiefs in 2019. He led all NFL players with 20.7 yards per reception (among players with at least 25 catches) and hauled in 26 catches for 538 yards and six touchdowns while adding 45 kick/punt returns for 871 yards and a touchdown.

It seems that the Chiefs have realized the threat Hardman can be on offense and are searching for someone to take some of his snaps on special teams to save his legs and allow him to focus more on the playbook.

In his final year at Georgia, Hardman was named to the 2018 ESPN.com All-America First Team (kick returner) and the 2018 AP & Coaches’ All-SEC 2nd Team. Maybe one of the fastest Bulldogs ever, Hardman running by defenders in Sanford Stadium was one of my favorite things to watch during his career in Athens.

Chiefs reveal why they passed on Georgia RB D’Andre Swift for Clyde Edwards-Helaire

The Kansas City Chiefs reveal why they passed on Georgia football RB D’Andre Swift for LSU’s Clyde Edwards-Helaire in the NFL Draft.

Swift slides…

Georgia had two players selected in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft on Thursday night, offensive tackles Andrew Thomas and Isaiah Wilson.

Georgia is happy to have two players go in the first round, but running back D’Andre Swift slipping into the second round was a move that shocked Bulldog fans and quite frankly most NFL fans as well.

The Philadelphia native was long considered the best ball carrier in the draft, and likely still is despite the Kansas City Chiefs selecting LSU’s Clyde Edwards-Helaire over him.

We kept waiting and waiting to hear Swift’s name called, but that did not happen on the first night. Most expected the Dolphins, Chiefs or Bucs to take Swift.

[lawrence-related id=26896]

Instead, Miami traded down from  No. 26 to No. 30 and took Auburn cornerback Noah Igbinoghene. But the real shocker came with the final pick of the first round when the Kansas City Chiefs took Edwards-Helaire, making him the only ball carrier taken in the first round.

Most football fans in general could not understand why the Chiefs went with Edwards-Helaire over Swift, who was the second highest player on Mel Kiper’s Big Board at the time of the selection.

But here’s why…

According to ChiefsWire, the reason has been revealed.

Apparently, Chiefs Super Bowl winning quarterback Patrick Mahomes made the decision.

From ChiefsWire:

The Chiefs called up Edwards-Helaire with Clark Hunt, Andy Reid, Brett Veach, Eric Bieniemy, and Deland McCullough to congratulate him on joining Kansas City. In the call, they let him, and the rest of Chiefs Kingdom in on a little piece of information. Both Reid and Veach revealed that Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes had hand-picked Edwards-Helaire as the player that he wanted for the Chiefs. And so, they made it happen.

Here’s a snippet from head coach Andy Reid’s phone call with Edwards-Helaire:

“Hey, listen we’re fired up for you, man,” Andy Reid began. “We asked Pat Mahomes, ‘Who do you want?’ And he picked you. How great is that?”

“I’m ready to work coach you know that,” Edwards-Helaire responded.

“… Coach and I were thinking your way,” Veach said. “Then when we texted Pat [Mahomes] and I said, ‘Give me a name and don’t think about it.’ And he said, ‘Clyde [Edwards-Helaire] and I said, ‘We’re good.’”

Edwards-Helaire is a great player, but he’s no Swift. Either way, Swift is going to make one team very happy when he hears his name called early on in the second round. He is the second-best available player on Mel Kiper’s Big Board.

Remember the last Georgia running back taken in the second round? He just finished second in the NFL in rushing yards last season. I’m talking about Nick Chubb, by the way, who was taken #35 overall by there Browns in the 2018 NFL Draft.

[lawrence-related id=26896]

Dannell Ellerbe gives his Georgia football pick-up basketball starting 5

Former Georgia linebacker Dannelle Ellerbe gives his edition of the Georgia football pickup basketball starting five.

Former Georgia and NFL linebacker Dannell Ellerbe gave his response for who he thinks would be the best five Georgia football players in a pick-up basketball game.

Ellerbe was a 2nd team All-SEC caliber linebacker during his time in Athens.  He’s had a great career in the NFL playing for the Baltimore Ravens, Miami Dolphins, New Orleans Saints and Philadelphia Eagles.

For some background on what we’re doing…

To help get you through quarantine, we thought of a fun and creative way to entertainer our readers.

We started by compiling our own pick-up basketball team made up of current Georgia football players. But why stop there? We then reached out to a few former Bulldogs and asked them to assemble their own teams.

Related: Our starting five (Here) — Isaiah Wilson’s starting five (Here) –Mecole Hardman’s starting five (Here)

We let them draft players who played at Georgia from the time they started their careers to present day. So for Ellerbe, he was able to choose Georgia players from 2004-2020.

We asked Ellerbe to pick five Georgia football players from his time at UGA to present (2004-current) to make up a basketball team.

Here is Ellerbe’s starting five:

Point Guard: D.J. Shockley (6-1, quarterback)

Shooting Guard: Tony Taylor (6-0, linebacker)

Small Forward: Antonio Sims (6-1, safety)

Power Forward: Quentin Moses (6-5, defensive end)

Center: Leonard Pope (6-8, tight end)

Ellerbe’s squad is old-school, and may include a few names that are unfamiliar to some of our younger readers.

We all know who D.J. Shockley is. Shock at point guard was a solid pick. He has the size, athleticism and playmaking skills to run the point. Can’t ask for much more than a dual-threat, SEC Championship Game MVP quarterback to be running point guard.

At shooting guard, Ellerbe went with former Georgia linebacker Tony Taylor, who was named MVP of the 2006 Georgia Bulldogs after leading the team in tackles. At 6-foot and 235 pounds, Taylor has the strength and athleticism to be a strong guard.

For the three spot, Ellerbe went with Antonio Sims, who played safety for the Dawgs in 2005 and 2006 before transferring. A rover, Sims would have great instincts and a nose for the basketball on the court. Lockdown defender who could surprise you with his athleticism on offense.

For the big men, Ellerbe showed some love to two of the greatest to ever do it at Georgia, Quentin Moses and Leonard Pope. Both of these men were monsters in Athens and can play bully ball down low.

I especially love the Pope selection.

Related: 

Our starting five (Here)

Isaiah Wilson’s starting five (Here)

Mecole Hardman’s starting five (Here)

Mecole Hardman gives his Georgia football pick-up basketball starting 5

Mecole Hardman gives his version of the Georgia football pick-up basketball starting five.

Former Georgia wide receiver and current Super Bowl champion Mecole Hardman decided he had to get a say in this Georgia football pick-up basketball starting five conversation.

Hardman won a Super Bowl with Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs last year, achieving what every football player longs for their entire career in his rookie season.

We reached out to Mecole via Twitter asking him who’d be in his basketball starting five to see how it matches up against ours, as well as other players selections.

Some background info on what we’re doing…

To help get you through quarantine, we thought of a fun and creative way to entertainer our readers.

We started by compiling our own pick-up basketball team made up of current Georgia football players. But why stop there? We then reached out to a few former Bulldogs and asked them to assemble their own teams.

We let them draft players who played at Georgia from the time they started their careers to present day. So for Hardman, he was able to choose Georgia players from 2016-2020.

Related: Our starting five: Here — Isaiah Wilson’s starting five: Here

Hardman so humbly left himself off the squad.

Mecole’s starting five:

Point Guard: Terry Godwin (5-11, wide receiver)

Shooting Guard: Javon Wims (6-2, wide receiver)

Small Forward: Richard LeCounte (5-11, safety)

Power Forward: Lorenzo Carter (6-5, linebacker)

Center: Davin Bellamy (6-5, linebacker)

Mecole went with his former Dawgs for his basketball starting five, selecting a lot of NFL talent. This team would have a lot of skill and finesse with Godwin and Wims in the backcourt while also being very physical with Carter and Bellamy defending the paint.

Mecole’s big men are physical but also are quite athletic and in shape, giving them stretch 4 and 5 capabilities on offense.

How would Mecole’s team do against the team we assembled?

Click the link below to see some more squads.

Our starting five: Here

Isaiah Wilson’s starting five: Here

Coming soon: Dannell Ellerbe, Tavarres King and Jeb Blazevich

Todd Gurley to the Chiefs? Twitter thinks it’s a good fit

Should the Kansas City Chiefs sign former Georgia football and Los Angeles Rams RB Todd Gurley? Twitter likes the idea.

Where former Georgia running back Todd Gurley will go next is a mystery right now.

A one-time NFL superstar, Gurley was slowed down by an injured knee last season, but there’s no denying that he is still one of the premiere backs in the NFL.

There’s been talks of Gurley to the Falcons, I’ve seen the Dolphins as a potential destination as well.

But a team a lot of NFL fans in general want to see Gurley land with is the defending Super Bowl champions, the Kansas City Chiefs.

Gurley on the Chiefs would be fun to watch, so it makes sense that football fans want to see that happen.

Related: New Falcons DE Dante Fowler wants Todd Gurley to join him in Atlanta

Related: Twitter reacts to Todd Gurley being released

Related: Todd Gurley: ‘I got fired on my day off’

Add TG to a roster that already includes Patrick Mahomes, Tyreek Hill, Mecole Hardman and Travis Kelce, and that only makes the most entertaining offense in football even more exciting to watch.

I don’t see this happening, but hey, anything is possible.

Andy Reid would have a blast with Gurley on the roster.

Our friends at ChiefsWire helped explain how Kansas City would be able to afford this move:

Herbie Teope brings up a solid point: How will they pay for it? That’s the question everyone is asking when the Chiefs are connected to a free agent right now. The great thing about the salary cap is that it can easily be manipulated. Brett Veach has a few more moves that he can make to add cap space. Will it be enough to sign a player like Gurley, though? His contract had $2.5 million in offset language, meaning the Rams would get that money back when he signs with a team.

 

When Dez speaks, you listen.

 

 

7 Georgia Bulldogs taken in CBSSports’ full NFL mock draft

CBS Sports released a full NFL mock draft that included 7 Georgia football players being taken.

Most NFL mock drafts that we’ve seen over the past couple of months have had 2-3 Georgia football players going in the first round.

However, in CBS Sports’ most recent 7-round mock draft, the outlet has just one Dawg taken in the first round, and that’s left tackle Andrew Thomas.

Analyst Chris Trapasso projects the New York Jets to take Thomas with the No. 11 overall pick in the NFL Draft, which is currently scheduled for April 23 in Las Vegas.

On Thomas, Trapasso wrote:

Jets GM Joe Douglas knows how vital an offensive line is after his time in Philadelphia. Thomas was outstanding the two seasons at Georgia and has length for days.

Trapasso has Thomas ranked as the 15th overall player in the draft class and 4th ranked offensive tackle.

In total, Trapasso has seven Georgia players going in the draft.

Round 2:

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4

Want to FaceTime with Georgia football great Mecole Hardman? Send him your number

If you want to FaceTime with Georgia football great Mecole Hardman now is your chance.

Georgia great Mecole Hardman, fresh off a Super Bowl win with the Kansas City Chiefs, wants to FaceTime with you.

Yes, really.

Hardman, known for his speed on the field and his fun-loving personality off of it, tweeted on Tuesday night that he wants you to send him your phone number so he can call you on FaceTime.

Obviously he cannot FaceTime everybody, but hey, drop your digits and maybe you’ll get lucky.

This is not the first time Hardman has used Twitter to try and interact with fans in a non-traditional way; he has, multiple times, asked his followers if they want to play with him on PlayStation as well.

Watch: Mecole Hardman on how Georgia football prepared him for the NFL

Georgia football great Mecole Hardman discussed how UGA and the SEC prepared prepared the Kansas Chiefs WR for the NFL and Super Bowl.

[jwplayer liuEUPvp-er0jUifI]

This past week, CampusLore was able to sit down with Georgia football great Mecole Hardman, who is enjoying a phenomenal rookie season with the Kansas City Chiefs.

Hardman was asked how Georgia prepared him for the NFL, and the speedster credited the level of competition in the SEC, how Kirby Smart ran the program and playing in front of 93,000 people.

Hardman’s rookie season concludes with a trip to the Super Bowl in Miami where he will face one of the most ferocious defenses the NFL has seen in a long time. For Kansas City to come out on top, it could use some big plays from its speedsters on the outside – Hardman and Tyreek Hill.

Related: Must watch: Georgia football’s Mecole Hardman mic’d up during Super Bowl week

The Bowman, Georgia native is about to wrap up a rookie season that saw him take the NFL by storm with his blazing fast speed. In 2019, Hardman, a former 2nd round pick, reeled in 26 catches for 538 yards (20.7 YPC!!) and four touchdowns.

As a kick returner, Hardman makes both teams hold their breaths and punished the opposition who was daring enough to kick the ball his way. In addition to his six touchdowns, Hardman also added a 104 yard kick return.