Mecole Hardman won't play much but when he does, it will make life easier for the Packers' key contributors

Hardman is a Super Bowl champion role player with impactful speed and gadget potential. His role will be to do the work so more important players don't have to.

Mecole Hardman isn’t DK Metcalf. OK, glad we got through that one. He’s not an impact receiver, or even the kind of gravity pull offered by Marquez Valdes-Scantling once upon a time. In fact, the better 2020 Green Bay Packers offense analog for Hardman is Tyler Ervin. He played a quietly vital role for that historically great offense in part because he did the eye candy dirty work so the best players could run the real routes. That’s Hardman’s job in Green Bay, and it even extends to defense.

Let’s start there. Keisean Nixon said he no longer wanted to return kicks, not just because of the rule changes, but because he viewed himself as CB1 on the Packers. He’s not, but he is a starting corner for Jeff Hafley and because the new kickoff marginalizes the return game, it makes sense to find someone else to handle those duties to avoid needless injury from Nixon.

The same is true for Jayden Reed on punt returns where Reed is better there in theory than practice. Reed’s dynamic ability with the ball in his hands on offense never quite translated to punt returns the way one might expect, and given he’s been the most consistent, dynamic receiver on the team over the last two years, getting him off that spot keeps him safer.

Hardman improves that spot for the Packers.

It could stop there and be a net positive for Green Bay: take body shots and extra leg burden off a key defender and critical offensive weapon. But Hardman can play a similar role with Reed on offense.