Kansas City traded up in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft to acquire Georgia receiver Mecole Hardman a day after the team announced Tyreek Hill had been suspended indefinitely from all team activities. Naturally, the assumption is the Chiefs plan to replace Hill’s production, should his time with the franchise be coming to an end in the near future, with Hardman.

While that may have been the plan during the draft, Kansas City may have been second-guessing that idea upon getting its first glimpse of Hardman in a Chief uniform.

According to Kansas City head coach Andy Reid, Hardman’s route running left much to be desired following the first day of the team’s rookie minicamp.

“I mean, brutal,” Reid said of Hardman’s route running on Day 1 according to Brooke Pryor of the Kansas City Star.

However, it didn’t take long for Reid to find out what a quick learner he had just drafted.

“Every time he did it, it got better,” Reid added. “That was with most of the routes he ran. That’s what I’m looking for.”

Any concerns Reid may have had regarding Hardman’s coachability have already disappeared as the rookie from Georgia made a strong impression during his initial team activity.

“Every day he got a little better,” Reid continued. “These are all new. These routes are new to him. He did a nice job in the red zone, which normally is the toughest place to work, but he did extremely well there. He had a good finish.”

That’s good news for the Chiefs as Hill’s status with the club remains in limbo and if they have confidence in Hardman to fill the void, it will be that much easier to let Hill go once and for all if need be.