BRONCOS SEEK BIG PLAYS FROM ROOKIE HAMLER
Can rookie receiver KJ Hamler be Denver’s version of K.C.’s Mecole Hardman?
Facing third-and-20 in the second quarter against Oakland last September, Kansas City needed 5 to 10 yards to get into field goal range. ¶ Field goal? Yeah, right. Standing in the shotgun, quarterback Patrick Mahomes took the snap and watched as receiver Mecole Hardman faked an out route and cut upfield to speed by Raiders safety Curtis Riley for a 42-yard touchdown.
Yes, Broncos fans, touchdowns are allowed to be that easy, and Hardman’s impact as a rookie may provide a worthy comparison for the first-year production of second-round pick KJ Hamler.
As Broncos Country can attest, everything offensively has been difficult in recent years, especially big plays.
Last year, the Broncos’ 46 completions of at least 20 yards were 25th in the NFL. Kansas City was seventh (59), the Chargers
10th (57) and the Raiders tied for 12th (54).
The need for chunk plays led general manager John Elway to draft receiver Jerry Jeudy and Hamler with his first two picks in April.
Going receiver-receiver with the first two picks was a first for the Broncos … and necessary.
Consider: The Broncos had three offensive touchdowns of 30-plus yards last
season — one apiece by tight end Noah Fant (75-yard catch), receiver Courtland Sutton (70-yard catch) and running back Phillip Lindsay (30-yard rush). Meanwhile, the Chiefs had 15, including five from Hardman.
If the Broncos are going to show a pulse on offense and challenge the Chiefs in the AFC West in 2020, they are going to need more big plays. That’s where Hamler, in particular, comes in.
And it wouldn’t be a bad thing if he followed Hardman’s 2019 blueprint.
It’s easy to draw a connection between the two players.
Hamler is listed at 5-foot-9 and 178 pounds. Hardman is 5-10 and 187 pounds.
Hamler averaged 15.2 yards per scrimmage play and scored 14 touchdowns at Penn State. Hardman averaged 14.5 yards with 14 touchdowns at Georgia.
But more than what their measurements and stats say, they look similar on the field. Lined up in the slot. Coming out of the backfield. Part of a “trips” formation. Still learning to expand their route tree, but so fast that they can destroy a defense.
Hardman did a good bit of that as a rookie. In 471 offensive snaps (44.9%), he caught 26 passes for 538 yards and six touchdowns. It was less about the quantity of his production and more about his game-changing ability. The length of his touchdowns were 104 (kickoff), 83, 63, 48, 42, 30 and 21 yards. Four turned deficits into leads for the Chiefs.
Against the Raiders, Hardman was targeted six times and caught four passes for 61 yards.
Hardman’s targets: Tight left (incomplete on an out route) … one of three receivers to the right (screen for four yards) … one of three receivers to the left (incomplete on a semi-throwaway) … in the left slot (42-yard touchdown on a double move) … one of three receivers right (10 yards on a throw into the flat) … in the backfield (five yards on a swing pass). Hardman also came out of a three-wide set to score a 72-yard touchdown after running an over route, but a holding penalty negated the play.
A month later, Hamler caught six passes on eight targets for 108 yards and two touchdowns against Michigan … and looked an awful lot like Hardman doing it.
Hamler’s targets: One of three receivers left (incomplete screen pass) … after shifting from the backfield to split out right (no gain on a crossing route) … in the left slot (four yards on a stop route) … in the right slot (18 yards on an out route) … in the left slot (25-yard touchdown when he got an outside release and ran by the safety) … in the right slot (incomplete pass on an underthrown go route) … in the right slot (eight yards on a quick slant/option route) … in the left slot (53-yard touchdown when he beat the safety on a post).
Hamler sealed the win by taking a hand-off and picking up four yards on third-and-3 with less than two minutes remaining.
Hamler had 56 catches for 904 yards and eight touchdowns last season. And like Hardman, a big chunk of his value comes from explosive plays. The length of Hamler’s touchdowns were 58, 53, 36, 27, 25, 23, 22 and 21 yards.
In 2018, he caught a careerlong 93-yard touchdown against Ohio State when he ran a slant route out of the left slot and outran the defense to the end zone. Working out of the slot and a variety of trips formations in that game, Hamler had four catches for 138 yards.
Those sort of big plays have been missing for Denver and should give Hamler the inside track to get on the field with Sutton and Jeudy in three-receiver formations. Last year, the longest touchdown catch made by a receiver other than Sutton was a seven-yard score by Emmanuel Sanders. The longest touchdown catch made by anyone other than Sutton or Fant was an eight-yard grab by tight end Jeff Heuerman.
Much of the pre-draft chatter was about how the Broncos needed to get their version of Kansas City’s Tyreek Hill. As a rookie, Hamler may look more like Hardman.
If that’s the case, the Broncos should be thrilled.