Mecole Hardman’s film reveals whether he has the route-running chops to warrant an expanded role
The New York Jets‘ wide receiver position has encountered plenty of change this offseason. Out are Elijah Moore and Braxton Berrios; in are Mecole Hardman, Allen Lazard, and Randall Cobb.
Hardman is a 25-year-old burner with legit 4.3 speed. He was brought in on a very reasonable one-year contract with a base value of $4.5 million, and he can earn up to $6.5 million with incentives.
The full, member-only Mecole Hardman film breakdown (1:27:00 in length) can be found at the bottom of this article (must be a Jets X-Factor member and logged into the site).
Hardman was a supporting player with the Chiefs, finding himself buried behind players like Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce. But in 2022, with Hill leaving in free agency, Hardman was predicted to have an expanded role in the Chiefs offense. Unfortunately for Hardman, that never materialized. He continued to receive a fairly limited number of targets until his regular season ended after eight games (he would play in one playoff game).
Almost immediately after Hardman was signed, Elijah Moore was traded, leaving some Jets fans to pencil Hardman in as the “Moore replacement”.
That shouldn’t be the case. Instead, Hardman should be viewed as more of a Braxton Berrios replacement.
While Hardman offers blazing speed and is a true vertical threat that Berrios never was, they’re similar in terms of the roles they are used to filling.
Hardman will most likely replace Berrios as a punt returner, “gadget guy”, and depth WR. But he should not be viewed as a primary “starting” WR, despite reports that the Jets are planning to expand Hardman’s route tree.
- Why shouldn’t Hardman start?
- Should his role have been expanded in Kansas City?
- What does he offer?
- What can he improve on?
All of these questions and more are answered on this edition of Blewett’s Blitz. Plus, a list of strengths and weaknesses can be seen at the bottom of the article!
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Full member-only Mecole Hardman film breakdown
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