Brandon Beane says Buffalo Bills are sixth-round draft candidate for featured role

The last time the Buffalo Bills used a sixth-round pick on a cornerback from a Pennsylvania school, it worked out well.

Buffalo took a chance on a lesser-known small-school prospect, selecting Villanova’s Christian Benford and the Day 3 selection beat out first-round rookie Kaiir Elam for a Week 1 starting spot in 2022.

This year, they tapped into the fertile fields of Happy Valley, selecting cornerback Daequan Hardy 219th overall. The Nittany Lion was at the bottom of a draft class that saw eight Penn State prospects selected, including freshman Olu Fashanu and Chop Robinson. In other words, it’s easy to see why the undersized defensive back might have been a bit overlooked.

His physical build suggests Hardy would be better suited as cornerback, a position locked down by highly paid veteran Taron Johnson, but there is a potential path for the late-round rookie to become an immediate contributor.

While the Bills lost primary punt returner Deonte Harty in free agency, Hardy could be a namesake replacement.

“Hardy for Harty. That’s what we were laughing about up there,” Bills general manager Brandon Beane said when asked about the team’s punt return plans during his post-season press conference. draft.

After three seasons as a regular contributor at the Nickel Corner, Hardy added primary punt return duties to his plate in 2023. He accounted for a 14.6 return average and took two punts at the House.

“He would be (a potential punt returner). We really liked his skills returning and then competing as a cornerback,” Beane said.

It’s quite possible that Beane unearthed another sixth-round gem from the Keystone State.