Daequan Hardy

Last updated

Daequan Hardy
No. 25 – Buffalo Bills
Position: Cornerback
Personal information
Born: (2001-06-13) June 13, 2001 (age 23)
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
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Roster status:Practice squad
Career highlights and awards
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Daequan Keith Hardy (born June 13, 2001) [1] is an American professional football cornerback for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Penn State.

Contents

Early life and high school

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 Pennsylvania state 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

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

Pre-draft measurables
HeightWeightArm lengthHand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split20-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 s1.50 s2.56 s4.17 s7.17 s42.5 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 with the 219th overall pick in the sixth round of the 2024 NFL draft. [18] He was released as part of final roster cuts on August 27, [19] then later added back to the practice squad. [20]

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References

  1. ↑ "Daequan Hardy". Penn State Nittany Lions . Retrieved January 26, 2024.
  2. ↑ Juliano, Joe (February 6, 2019). "National signing day: Penn State receives two more commitments for incoming class of 2019". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  3. ↑ White, Mike (December 28, 2018). "Penn Hills' Daequan Hardy is Pennsylvania's 5A Player of Year". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  4. ↑ White, Mike (February 5, 2019). "Penn Hills High School's Daequan Hardy commits to Penn State". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  5. ↑ McGonigal, John (February 6, 2019). "Penn State adds another Florida wideout, bringing 2019 recruiting class up to 23 members". York Dispatch. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  6. ↑ Charnoff, Amber (January 5, 2024). "Daequan Hardy declared for the NFL Draft". ABC27. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  7. ↑ "Daequan Hardy 2021 Game Log". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  8. ↑ "Daequan Hardy 2022 Game Log". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  9. ↑ Engle, Seth (December 28, 2023). "Penn Hills grad Daequan Hardy was an underdog before Penn State — and is again before the NFL draft". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  10. ↑ Sauber, Jon (October 14, 2023). "Penn State cornerback Daequan Hardy breaks school punt return record against UMass". Centre Daily Times. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  11. ↑ "Daequan Hardy 2023 Game Log". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  12. ↑ Wogenrich, Mark (December 21, 2023). "Penn State's Daequan Hardy Declares for NFL Draft". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  13. ↑ Sauber, Jon (December 21, 2023). "Penn State football: Daequan Hardy declares for draft". Centre Daily Times. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  14. ↑ Pickel, Greg (December 21, 2023). "Penn State cornerback Daequan Hardy announces Peach Bowl, NFL Draft plans". On3.com. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  15. ↑ "Daequan Hardy Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
  16. ↑ "2024 NFL Draft Scout Daequan Hardy College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
  17. ↑ "2024 NFL Pro Day Central - Penn State Athletics". GoPSUSports.com. March 15, 2024. Retrieved April 13, 2024.
  18. ↑ O'Halloran, Ryan (May 17, 2024). "Replacing (Deonte) Harty with (Daequan) Hardy could be Bills' punt return plan". The Buffalo News . Archived from the original on May 17, 2024. Retrieved May 19, 2024.
  19. ↑ White, Alec. "Buffalo Bills made these moves to get to initial 53-man roster". buffalobills.com. Retrieved August 28, 2024.
  20. ↑ Wojton, Nick (August 28, 2024). "Bills announce full practice squad following roster cuts". Bills Wire. USA Today. Retrieved September 2, 2024.
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