Mecole Hardman

Carey Mecole Hardman Jr. (born March 12, 1998) is an American football wide receiver for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Georgia and was drafted by the Chiefs in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft. He also briefly played for the New York Jets.

Mecole Hardman
refer to caption
Hardman with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2019
No. 12 – Kansas City Chiefs
Position:Wide receiver
Personal information
Born: (1998-03-12) March 12, 1998
Bowman, Georgia, U.S.
Height:5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight:187 lb (85 kg)
Career information
High school:Elbert County
(Elberton, Georgia)
College:Georgia (2016–2018)
NFL Draft:2019 / Round: 2 / Pick: 56
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of Week 5, 2023
Receptions:152
Receiving yards:2,094
Rushing yards:125
Return yards:1,482
Total touchdowns:20
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

Early years

Hardman attended Elbert County High School in Elbert County, Georgia.[1] A five-star recruit, he committed to the University of Georgia to play college football.[2]

College career

Hardman played at Georgia from 2016 to 2018.[3] During his career, he had 60 receptions for 961 yards and 11 touchdowns.[4] As a return specialist, he had 39 punt returns for 592 yards and a touchdown and 35 kick returns for 875 yards.[5] One significant touchdown came in his sophomore year against Alabama in the College Football Playoff National Championship. He caught an 80-yard pass from Jake Fromm in the third quarter of the 26–23 overtime loss.[6] After his junior season, he decided to forgo his senior year and enter the 2019 NFL Draft.[7]

College statistics
Mecole Hardman
Season Team GP Receiving Rushing
RecYdsAvgTDAttYdsAvgTD
2016Georgia 4000.00000.00
2017Georgia 152541816.748617.62
2018Georgia 143554315.575367.20
Career336096116.01113977.52

Professional career
Pre-draft measurables
HeightWeightArm lengthHand span40-yard dash10-yard split20-yard split20-yard shuttleThree-cone drillVertical jumpBroad jumpBench press
5 ft 10+1⁄4 in
(1.78 m)		 187 lb
(85 kg)		 30+1⁄4 in
(0.77 m)		 9 in
(0.23 m)		4.33 s1.54 s2.57 s4.25 s6.75 s36.5 in
(0.93 m)		9 ft 11 in
(3.02 m)		17 reps
All values from NFL Combine/Pro Day[8][9]

2019 season

Hardman was selected by the Kansas City Chiefs in the second round with the 56th overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft.[10] He was the fifth wide receiver selected that year.[11]

During Week 2 against the Oakland Raiders, Hardman caught four passes for 61 yards and his first NFL touchdown in the 28–10 road victory.[12] In the Week 3 game against the Baltimore Ravens, he caught two passes for 97 yards including an 83-yard receiving touchdown. The Chiefs defeated the Ravens 33–28.[13] During a Week 10 35–32 road loss against the Tennessee Titans, Hardman had a 63-yard touchdown on his only reception of the game.[14] On December 17, Hardman was named to the Pro Bowl.[15] In the regular-season finale against the Los Angeles Chargers, Hardman caught a 30-yard reception and returned a kickoff for a 104 yard touchdown in the 31–21 win.[16] In Super Bowl LIV, Hardman had a single reception for two yards while returning three kicks for a total of 58 yards in a 31–20 win against the San Francisco 49ers.[17]

2020 season

During a Week 3 game against the Baltimore Ravens, Hardman caught four passes for 81 yards including a 49-yard receiving touchdown. The Chiefs won 34–20.[18] In a Week 8 35–9 victory against the New York Jets, Hardman caught seven passes for 96 yards including a 30-yard receiving touchdown.[19] On November 11, 2020, Hardman was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list after testing positive for COVID-19, and was activated on November 21.[20] Hardman missed no games while on the reserve/COVID-19 list, but his snaps were limited in the Chiefs' Week 11 victory against the Las Vegas Raiders. His only reception in the game came on the team's game-winning drive with 1:14 remaining in the fourth quarter.[21] In the Chiefs' Week 14 victory over the Miami Dolphins, Hardman returned a punt for 67 yards for a touchdown, the first punt return touchdown of his career.[22] Overall, Hardman recorded 41 receptions for 560 receiving yards and four receiving touchdowns to go along with a punt return touchdown in the 2020 season.[23]

In the AFC Championship against the Buffalo Bills, Hardman muffed a punt return that the Bills recovered at the 3-yard line which was later converted into a touchdown. However, on the next Chiefs drive, Hardman caught a touchdown pass and later rushed for a 50-yard jet sweep. The Chiefs would win 38–24 advancing to Super Bowl LV.[24] In the Super Bowl, Hardman caught two passes for four yards in a 31–9 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.[25]

2021 season

In the 2021 season, Hardman played in all 17 games and recorded 59 receptions for 693 yards and two touchdowns while handling a majority of the punt return duties.[26] In the postseason, Hardman scored a rushing touchdown in the Divisional Round and a receiving touchdown in the AFC Championship.[27][28]

2022 season

In Week 7 against the San Francisco 49ers, Hardman recorded four catches for 32 yards and a receiving touchdown to go along with 28 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns. He became the first wide receiver in the Super Bowl era to get two rushing touchdowns and a receiving touchdown in the same game.[29] He was placed on injured reserve on November 17, 2022, after suffering an abdomen injury in Week 9. Hardman was activated off of injured reserve on January 4, 2023.[30] Hardman did return in the AFC Championship but injured his abdominal and was deactivated for Super Bowl LVII.[31] The Chiefs defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 38–35 to give Hardman his second Super Bowl win.[32]

New York Jets

Hardman signed with the New York Jets on March 23, 2023.[33]

Kansas City Chiefs (second stint)

On October 18, 2023, Hardman and seventh-round selection in the 2025 NFL Draft were traded to the Kansas City Chiefs in exchange for a sixth-round selection in 2025.[34]

NFL career statistics
Legend
Won the Super Bowl
Bold Career best

Regular season
Year Team Games Receiving Rushing Fumbles
GPGSRecYdsAvgLngTDAttYdsAvgLngTDFumLost
2019KC 1652653820.78364174.39022
2020KC 1684156013.74944317.820022
2021KC 1785969311.75328465.824032
2022KC 852529711.93644317.825210
2023NYJ 50166.0600000000
Career62261522,09413.88316201256.325286

Postseason
Year Team Games Receiving Rushing
GPGSRecYdsAvgLngTDAttYdsAvgLngTD
2019KC 314297.31301−6−6.0−60
2020KC 318668.342125427.0500
2021KC 31812115.14416559.2251
2022KC 102105.0110273.550
Career1032222610.34421111010.0501

References
  1. Kirpalani, Sanjay (February 3, 2016). "Mecole Hardman Jr. Commits to Georgia: No. 1 ATH Can Make Instant Impact". Bleacher Report. Retrieved April 1, 2020.
  2. Wasserman, Ari (February 3, 2016). "Mecole Hardman announces commitment to Georgia". cleveland.com. Retrieved April 1, 2020.
  3. Weiszer, Marc (March 27, 2017). "Georgia taking a look at utilizing Mecole Hardman's speed at wide receiver". Athens Banner-Herald. Retrieved April 1, 2020.
  4. "Mecole Hardman College Stats, School, Draft, Gamelog, Splits". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved May 16, 2023.
  5. Ledbetter, D. Orlando (February 15, 2019). "NFL combine invitee: Mecole Hardman, WR, Georgia (Elbert County)". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved April 1, 2020.
  6. "College Football Championship - Alabama vs Georgia Box Score, January 8, 2018". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved September 17, 2020.
  7. "Georgia loses top receivers, RB Holyfield to draft". ESPN.com. Associated Press. January 4, 2019. Retrieved April 1, 2020.
  8. "Carey Hardman Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved September 2, 2019.
  9. "2019 Draft Scout Mecole Hardman, Georgia NFL Draft Scout College Football Profile". draftscout.com. Retrieved January 7, 2023.
  10. Bergman, Jeremy (April 26, 2019). "Chiefs select speedy WR Hardman amid Hill questions". NFL.com. Retrieved April 26, 2019.
  11. "2019 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved April 1, 2020.
  12. "Mahomes' 4 TDs in 2nd quarter lead Chiefs past Raiders 28-10". ESPN.com. Associated Press. September 15, 2019. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
  13. "Mahomes throws 3 TD passes as Chiefs hold off Ravens, 33-28". ESPN.com. Associated Press. September 22, 2019. Retrieved September 22, 2019.
  14. "Kansas City Chiefs at Tennessee Titans - November 10th, 2019". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved April 1, 2020.
  15. "Three Chiefs players join Mahomes, Hill, Kelce on Pro Bowl roster". Kansas City Business Journal. December 18, 2019. Retrieved September 4, 2020.
  16. "Chiefs top Bolts 31-21 to earn No. 2 seed, first-round bye". ESPN.com. Associated Press. December 29, 2019. Retrieved December 29, 2019.
  17. Shook, Nick (February 2, 2020). "Kansas City Chiefs win Super Bowl LIV". NFL.com. Retrieved February 2, 2020.
  18. "Kansas City Chiefs at Baltimore Ravens - September 28th, 2020". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
  19. "New York Jets at Kansas City Chiefs - November 1st, 2020". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
  20. Summers, Mitchel (November 21, 2020). "Mecole Hardman cleared from Reserve/COVID-19 list". WBIW.com. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
  21. "Kansas City Chiefs at Las Vegas Raiders - November 22nd, 2020". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
  22. "Kansas City Chiefs at Miami Dolphins - December 13th, 2020". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
  23. "Mecole Hardman 2020 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 4, 2021.
  24. Alper, Josh (January 25, 2021). "Mecole Hardman glad coaches didn't lose confidence in him". ProFootballTalk. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
  25. "Super Bowl LV - Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Kansas City Chiefs - February 7th, 2021". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 4, 2021.
  26. "Mecole Hardman 2021 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
  27. "Divisional Round - Buffalo Bills at Kansas City Chiefs - January 23rd, 2022". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
  28. "AFC Championship - Cincinnati Bengals at Kansas City Chiefs - January 30th, 2022". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
  29. Taylor, Nate (October 24, 2022). "How the Chiefs' Mecole Hardman lived up to his 'Jet' nickname to sweep their way to win over 49ers". The Athletic. Retrieved May 16, 2023.
  30. Goldman, Charles (January 4, 2023). "Chiefs activate WR Mecole Hardman to 53-man roster, waive OT Geron Christian". Chiefs Wire. Retrieved January 4, 2023.
  31. Palmer, Tod (February 12, 2023). "Super Bowl LVII inactives: RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire won't play for Chiefs". KSHB 41 Kansas City News. Retrieved May 16, 2023.
  32. "Super Bowl LVII - Philadelphia Eagles vs. Kansas City Chiefs - February 12th, 2023". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 24, 2023.
  33. Lange, Randy (March 23, 2023). "Jets Add Free Agent Speedster Mecole Hardman to Their WR Corps". NewYorkJets.com. Retrieved March 24, 2023.
  34. Teicher, Adam (October 18, 2023). "Sources: Jets trade WR Mecole Hardman Jr. back to Chiefs". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 21, 2023.
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