Few rookies will have more pressure to produce immediately than Kansas City Chiefs receiver Mecole Hardman. The former Georgia Bulldog speedster likely will step into a vacated spot on the roster left by Tyreek Hill, and will be expected to pick up at least a portion of Hill's production.

Kansas City finally got its prized rookie on the field over the weekend during the team's rookie minicamp and, so far, Hardman has left a good impression. Coach Andy Reid called Hardman’s first attempt to run a dagger route “brutal,” but the rest of the three days of rookie minicamp left Reid with a better feeling.

“Every day he got a little better,” Reid said, via the Kansas City Star. “These are all new. These routes are new to him. He did a nice job in the red zone, which normally is the toughest place to work, but he did extremely well there. He had a good finish.”

Article Continues Below

The Chiefs moved up to get Hardman a day after the release of the Hill audio that has cast his future with the team in serious doubt. Expecting Hardman to replace Hill would be asking too much, but the price paid to get him means the Chiefs will expect him to contribute under any circumstances and continued growth during this time of year will be essential to reaching that bar.

While Hardman didn't put up prolific numbers in Georgia's run-heavy offense, that hasn't stopped the 5-foot-10, 187-pound athlete from becoming one of the more hyped rookies of his class. With reigning MVP Patrick Mahomes throwing him the ball, Hardman will have plenty of opportunity to live up to the billing.