Daequan Keith Hardy (born June 13, 2001)[1] is an American football cornerback for the Buffalo Bills in the National Football League (NFL). He previously played for the Penn State Nittany Lions.
| No. 25 – Buffalo Bills | |
|---|---|
| Position: | Cornerback |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | June 13, 2001 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Height: | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) |
| Weight: | 178 lb (81 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school: | Penn Hills (Penn Hills, Pennsylvania) |
| College: | Penn State (2020–2023) |
| NFL draft: | 2024 / Round: 6 / Pick: 219 |
| Career history | |
| |
| Roster status: | Unsigned draft pick |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Early life and high school edit
Hardy attended high school at Penn Hills. In Hardy's senior season, he amassed a total of 22 touchdowns.[2] Hardy helped led his team to a stille title, as in the game he scored four touchdowns, two receiving, an 84-yard kickoff return, and a 100-yard pick six, as he also intercepted three passes in the game.[3] Coming out of high school, Hardy was rated as a three-star recruit, where he decided to commit to play college football for the Penn State Nittany Lions.[4][5]
College career edit
In Hardy's first career season in 2020, he tallied ten tackles, three pass deflections, and a sack.[6] In 2021, Hardy had 15 tackles, with three going for a loss, a sack, six pass deflections, two interceptions, and a touchdown.[7] During the 2022 season, Hardy notched 13 tackles with half a tackle being for a loss, half a sack, four pass deflections, an interceptions, and a forced fumble.[8] In week seven of the 2023 season, Hardy returned two punts for touchdowns in a win over UMass.[9] His two touchdowns, was a single game school record for punt return touchdowns.[10] Hardy finished the 2023 season totaling 22 tackles with three going for a loss, a sack, seven pass deflections, and two interceptions, while also returning 17 punts for 248 yards and two touchdowns.[11] For his performance on the 2023 season, Hardy was named third team all Big-Ten.[12] After the conclusion of the 2023 season, Hardy declared for the 2024 NFL draft.[13][14]
Professional career edit
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 ft 9+3⁄8 in (1.76 m) |
179 lb (81 kg) |
30 in (0.76 m) |
8+1⁄8 in (0.21 m) |
4.38 s | 1.50 s | 2.56 s | 4.17 s | 7.17 s | 42.5 in (1.08 m) |
10 ft 6 in (3.20 m) |
15 reps | |
| All values from NFL Combine/Pro Day[15][16][17] | ||||||||||||
Hardy was selected by the Buffalo Bills in the sixth round with the 219th pick overall in the 2024 NFL draft.
References edit
- ^ "Daequan Hardy". Penn State Nittany Lions. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
- ^ Juliano, Joe (6 February 2019). "National signing day: Penn State receives two more commitments for incoming class of 2019". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
- ^ White, Mike (28 December 2018). "Penn Hills' Daequan Hardy is Pennsylvania's 5A Player of Year". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
- ^ White, Mike (5 February 2019). "Penn Hills High School's Daequan Hardy commits to Penn State". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
- ^ McGonigal, John (6 February 2019). "Penn State adds another Florida wideout, bringing 2019 recruiting class up to 23 members". York Dispatch. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
- ^ Charnoff, Amber (5 January 2024). "Daequan Hardy declared for the NFL Draft". ABC27. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
- ^ "Daequan Hardy 2021 Game Logs". Sports Reference. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
- ^ "Daequan Hardy 2022 Game Logs". Sports Reference. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
- ^ Engle, Seth (28 December 2023). "Penn Hills grad Daequan Hardy was an underdog before Penn State — and is again before the NFL draft". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
- ^ Sauber, Jon. "Penn State cornerback Daequan Hardy breaks school punt return record against UMass". Centre Daily Times. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
- ^ "Daequan Hardy 2023 Game Logs". Sports Reference. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
- ^ Wogenrich, Mark (21 December 2023). "Penn State's Daequan Hardy Declares for NFL Draft". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
- ^ Sauber, Jon. "Penn State football: Daequan Hardy declares for draft". Centre Daily Times. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
- ^ Pickel, Greg (21 December 2023). "Penn State cornerback Daequan Hardy announces Peach Bowl, NFL Draft plans". On3.com. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
- ^ "Daequan Hardy Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
- ^ "2024 NFL Draft Scout Daequan Hardy College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
- ^ "2024 NFL Pro Day Central - Penn State Athletics". GoPSUSports.com. Retrieved April 13, 2024.