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Mecole Hardman almost certainly isn't the second coming of Tyreek Hill. Not only because it would be remiss to expect the young receiver to reach the esteemed level of play of the Kansas City Chiefs superstar, but also because Hardman, fast as he is, doesn't quite scoot with the truly unsurpassed speed of Hill.
Andy Reid understands all that better than anyone, but couldn't stop himself from comparing Hardman and Hill as rookies when asked on Monday.
“Well, [Hardman] played the position more than what Hill… Hill came in as more of a running back slash wide receiver, so the fact that this kid was purely a wide receiver [is important],” Reid said, per ESPN's Adam Teicher. “Both of them are real smart kids, though. So we were able to accelerate Tyreek and get him going fast just because he's so smart, and it's same way with Mecole. He's a smart kid, and we've given him quite a few things to do.”
The Chiefs actually selected Hardman in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft as an insurance policy of sorts for Hill, whose status was unknown back in April as local law enforcement and the league conducted investigations into allegations of domestic violence against he and his fiancée.
In July, the league office cleared the three-time Pro Bowler to play without any additional restrictions.
Mecole Hardman, who ran a 4.33 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine, acquitted himself well in Kansas City's preseason debut on Saturday.
The rookie had two catches for 31 yards in his team's drubbing of the Cincinnati Bengals, including a 17-yard score off a shovel pass on which he turned on the afterburners, beating several Bengals defenders to the end zone.
