The Kansas City Chiefs selected wide receiver Mecole Hardman from Georgia with the 56th overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. How does Hardman fit with the Chiefs potent offense? A deep dive into the former Georgia Bulldog and what he brings to Kansas City.

As Chiefs Kingdom eagerly anticipated the 2019 NFL Draft, news broke of an audio recording of wide receiver Tyreek Hill that ultimately resulted in the star wide receiver being suspended from the team. With this news fresh in mind, and several talented wide receivers lingering during day 2 of the NFL Draft, it seemed logical that the Chiefs would try to land a receiver, although few would have predicted Mecole Hardman to be the name called.

There was an intriguing name on the board in Ole Miss’ D.K. Metcalf who blew people away at the NFL Combine and openly expressed that he wanted to play with Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. However, the Chiefs made a small leap from pick 61 to 56 and turned in their card quickly. For a few seconds, fans had momentary visions of the monstrous Metcalf catching deep bombs from the reigning NFL MVP.

Then they called Mecole Hardman’s name.

For most Chiefs fans and fans of the NFL draft, this pick was bizarre. Not necessarily bad, since it was the appropriate draft range for Hardman, but with other players on the board-Metcalf in particular—it was hard to understand. It was at this point that draft analysts began connecting the dots. Hardman is a smaller framed, lightning fast receiver who returns punts and kicks much like the potentially suspended Hill. It only makes sense that Hardman was drafted as the replacement.

But is that really the case? There are certainly similarities between Hardman and Hill, but the Chiefs may have a very different plan for the young speedster. Let’s take a deeper look at Mecole Hardman the prospect, and what Hardman brings to the Chiefs.