Brandon Beane says Bills' Sixth-Round Draft Pick Contender for Featured Role

The Buffalo Bills used a sixth-round draft pick on Penn State's Daequan Hardy, who may wind up filling a position vacated by former All-Pro Deonte Harty.

Penn State's Daequan Hardy (25) returns a punt 56 yards for a touchdown during the first half of a / Dan Rainville / USA TODAY NETWORK

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

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

This year, they mined the fertile grounds of Happy Valley, selecting cornerback Daequan Hardy with the No. 219 overall pick. The Nittany Lion was at the bottom of a draft class that saw eight Penn State prospects selected including first-rounders Olu Fashanu and Chop Robinson. In other words, it's easy to see why the undersized defensive back may have been a bit overlooked.

His physical build suggests Hardy would be best suited as a slot cornerback, a position locked down by handsomely-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 homonymous replacement.

"Hardy for Harty. That's what we were laughing about up there," said Bills' general manager Brandon Beane when asked about the team's plans at punt returner during his post-draft press conference.

After three seasons as a regular contributor at 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 to the house.

"He would be [a potential punt returner]. We really liked his return skill, and then compete as a backend corner," said Beane.

It's quite possible Beane dug up another sixth-round gem from the Keystone State.