This guy at The Draft Network wrote a great article about Hardman and why he liked him more than any receiver in the class. The writer is apparently a collegiate wide receivers coach somewhere, actually.
Originally Posted by pugsnotdrugs19:
This guy at The Draft Network wrote a great article about Hardman and why he liked him more than any receiver in the class. The writer is apparently a collegiate wide receivers coach somewhere, actually.
On the surface, it's looks like a great match for us. YAC is so crucial to what we do and it looks like he excels in that dept. Reid should be able to bring this guy up with minimal learning curve. [Reply]
My instant reaction to this trade up and pick was "Why trade up for this guy when there are so many consensus better wide receivers still on the board?" and then I thought "oh god did we need a Tyreek "type" receiver to slot into a role in the play book just to avoid having to re-write half of the book and so had to take this guy rather than someone better?"
But, as I had more time to think about this, I actually really like it. First of all, I feel like Andy has proved to us all he knows how to use guys on offense and also build an offense around what he has, so if he wants this guy I don't mind a bit of reach for Reid to get his guy. This is very different to how I felt about perceived reaches on the defensive side of the ball last year.
And, I still think that maybe Campbell will be a more talent receiver career wise, but I really like what I saw from Hardman's highlights and if somehow he is on the field at the same time as Tyreek, then maybe we just created a monster. If not then Reid still got his guy to build the lateral sweep and screen game around as well as a genuine deep threat for Mahomes. [Reply]
Originally Posted by pugsnotdrugs19:
I believe you’re going to be pleasantly surprised.
I just see a different fluidity to Hardman’s game that is rare. He’s a little raw no question, but with Mahomes and Reid, his talent will be maximized so long as he does his part with hard work.
He has to know this is his best chance to get that $100 million contract at some point. You have the coach/QB/scheme to throw it deep to a speedy receiver. He got lucky to land here. He'd better go for that brass ring. Anything less than 100% would be unacceptable. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Chris Meck:
AND Parris Campbell was going to be gone anyway.
I kind of liked Campbell a touch more, but both were called 2nd round picks.
It's not a reach. If that's what Big Red wanted, and let's face it, THAT is the case, then it's all good.
If it makes you feel better, having watched parris Campbell a bit, he's never felt like a natural receiver. Dude is incredibly fast but just a year before he dropped everything thrown his way. I think he'll end up being a role gadget player than a true playmaker. I wouldn't mind both because we still haven't really replaced Albert wilson. But the limited I know of Hardman this pick seems better. [Reply]
Originally Posted by BleedingRed:
If Tyreek somehow comes out of this and we have this guy....
How do you defend him, Tyreek and Watkins?
All three guys are low 4.3 guys with good hands....
Our krypyonite last year was when teams got to mahomes quickly. Even worse when they get pressure but they bracketed tyreek. Mahomes needs more options for quick throws. And much as I hate to say it, in many cases he needs to take those. We have to balance a deep attack with some short stuff. These elite qbs always seem to have an ultra reliable guy who just knows how to get open and catches every damn thing their way. I'm thinking guys like Ricky proehl, Randall Cobb, etc.... We saw Albert wilson thrive in that slot role even though he's not that great. [Reply]
I was surprised it was Hardman, but the more we read the more I like it.
The suddenness and agility combined with the speed make him seem like a great fit for this offense. It’s great insurance on Hill regardless what KC does with that situation. [Reply]
Listening to Veach's press conference... he said Toub was smiling wide when they drafted Hardman and mentioned that Toub thought he was the best returner "since Devin Hester that he had seen in a long time."
I had to do a double take here and rewind it. He said the exact same thing about Hill the day the Chiefs drafted him.
I feel like we've entered some realm of the twilight zone. [Reply]