Looking to shore up the cornerback depth on defense, the Buffalo Bills selected Penn State CB Daequan Hardy with the 219th overall pick on Saturday.
Hardy appeared in 48 games over 5 seasons with only five starts with four of them coming this past season. During his senior season, he handled punt return duties, muffing zero punts. He also was able to return two punts for touchdowns against UMass and eventually garnered second team All Big Ten following the season.
Read below for Daequan Hardy’s publicly reported injury history and analysis.
Injury History
2023 Penn State
Undisclosed injury, preseason, missed 2 games.
Hardy missed the first two games of the season due to an undisclosed injury that he appeared to suffer prior to the season opener against West Virginia.
In the linked article, Hardy acknowledges the injury but declined to address it as he wanted to leave the past in the past.
Injury Analysis
Hardy appeared in 48 of 50 possible games for Penn State and only appeared to suffer one known injury. The specific injury is unknown but once he returned against Illinois, he immediately secured an interception and a month later, returned two punts for touchdowns. Whatever the injury was, it appeared to be minor and behind him with those performances.
Final Thoughts
Hardy is on the small side at 5’9” and 182 lbs but will hopefully see a reserve role should he make the roster. The slight frame could lead to injury but it is far from a guarantee. The Bills have done wonders in developing players in the secondary and Hardy could be the next to benefit.
I wish Daequan Hardy the best of luck and to remain healthy.
Top Photo Credit: Penn State Athletics
