Penn State cornerback and return specialist Daequan Hardy was picked up late in the sixth round of the NFL Draft on Saturday, landing at No. 219 overall after being selected by the Buffalo Bills.
Hardy finishes off his Penn State career having played four full seasons en route to a 60-tackle tenure that included one defensive touchdown and five interceptions. He had two interceptions in 2023 while posting career highs with 22 total tackles and three tackles for a loss in addition to one sack.
The senior most notably made his mark on punt returns though, taking two for touchdowns in 2023, returning 17 punts over the course of the season after taking over those duties midway through the year. Hardy closed out the season having averaged 14.6 yards per punt return.
Hardy is — surprisingly to many — off the board prior to teammates Johnny Dixon and Kalen King, both former Penn State’s defensive backs expected to be drafted this year.
As a program Penn State has now had players seven players drafted over the course of the three-day event, a figure that is closing in on the Nittany Lions’ highest-ever total of 10 players set in 1996 and one shy of tying the highest under James Franklin, which was set at eight in 2022. Offensive tackle Olu Fashanu, selected No. 11 overall by the New York Jets, and defensive end Chop Robinson, picked up at No. 21 by the Miami Dolphins, are Penn State’s headliners this draft cycle.
