LA Chargers: One breakout player from each AFC West foe to worry about

Kansas City Chiefs’ breakout player that the LA Chargers must worry about: WR Mecole Hardman

It might seem strange to say that Mecole Hardman is going to be a breakout player for the Kansas City Chiefs next season considering that he is already a relatively big name on the Super Bowl Champs that was just one of many weapons in the Chiefs’ offense.

However, while he did make some big plays for the Chiefs last season, it is not like he had a spectacular year. He had a good rookie season that he is going to build on and he will blossom into the bonafide second target in the receiving corps and the numbers will reflect that.

Hardman showcased his deep-threat ability last season as he had 538 receiving yards and six touchdowns despite only having 26 receptions. His 20.7 yards per reception was actually higher than Mike Williams’ league-leading 20.4 yards per reception, but he did not have enough sample size to qualify as a league-leader.

With a bigger workload, he will continue to show his worth in the Chiefs’ passing game and it could be especially dangerous against the LA Chargers. The Chargers have a solid secondary but the one weak area is the second outside corner position.

That could be something that the Chiefs look to expose against the Chargers. The Chargers have done well in limiting the Chiefs offense with their secondary and Cover 3 scheme but an improved Hardman makes the task even more difficult.

The Chargers did make him a non-factor in the two matchups last season, which is a promising sign for this specific matchup.