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The Chiefs used their first pick in the draft on wide receiver Mecole Hardman in large part because of his speed. After just a short time together on the practice field, Patrick Mahomes has already noticed.

Mahomes said Hardman is showing exactly the kind of speed the Chiefs are going to need at receiver this year, especially in the wake of off-field misconduct likely leaving Tyreek Hill off the field.

“He’s a great player,” Mahomes said of Hardman. “Obviously, he’s very fast, but he’s working on everything, route-running, getting accustomed to the offense, I was very excited. When you add guys and add depth, it really is a special thing to know that the staff and everybody keeps adding and are never satisfied with where we are at, we are going to keep getting better every single year.”

Chiefs coach Andy Reid added, “Mecole’s getting better every day, that’s been kind of fun to watch.”

The Chiefs need Hardman to contribute quickly as a rookie, and they think he will.