Kansas City Chiefs wide receive Mecole Hardman may have shocked most of the world with his effort in Super Bowl 58, but quarterback Patrick Mahomes was not surprised.

Hardman caught the game-winning touchdown pass from Mahomes in overtime and logged three catches for 57 yards on the night overall, representing the Chiefs’ leading wide out.

Mahomes knew that Hardman would be prepared.

“I don’t know if it was so this week; I’ve played with Mecole for a long time,” Mahomes said, via Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk. “He’s always ready for the moment, and he’s someone that continues to practice hard and get better. And obviously, that receiver rotation, we were bouncing around a lot of guys all year long, and those guys just continue to work. Just like the last Super Bowl, you never know who it’s gonna be, but it’s about everybody being ready for the moment and he was he was ready for that moment in a couple big plays.”

It was certainly a wild year for Hardman, who began the season with the New York Jets before being traded to the Chiefs at the deadline back on Oct. 31.

After posting just one catch for six yards with the Jets, Hardman totaled 14 receptions for 118 yards in Kansas City. But even those his production increased with the Chiefs, he was clearly mostly an afterthought within the offense.

Until the Super Bowl.

Hardman, who played his collegiate football at the University of Georgia, was originally selected by Kansas City in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft.

He spent the first four years of his career with the Chiefs before leaving for the Jets via free agency last offseason.

But apparently, it was Hardman’s destiny to be a part of his third Super Bowl run in Kansas City.

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