The Oregon State Beavers had exactly one player drafted in last weekend’s NFL Draft.
Incidentally, that one player did not play a single down in black and orange last year.
Brandon Hardin missed all of his senior season because of a shoulder injury. As a junior, he was an awful cornerback. Hardin routinely had mishaps in coverage. A lot of balls were completed to his receiver.
Not to worry.
With the Chicago Bears – who drafted him in the third round – Hardin will play strong safety.
This move will benefit the Bears, obviously. Otherwise they wouldn’t have made it.
Because Hardin is such a monster physically, it’s worth using a pick on him. A third-round pick, maybe not. But picking up Hardin is a wise move. After all, the guy is 6’3,” 217 pounds and runs a 4.4 40. He can hit like a truck. That is not your prototypical cornerback. But it does potentially make for an effective NFL strong safety.
Hardin is the type of player who can crowd the line of scrimmage to help against the run. With his hitting prowess, he is also the type of guy who can rack up six figures in fines for ringing receivers’ bells as they run across the middle.
Personally, if I’m running an NFL team, I don’t spend a third-round pick on Hardin. Instead, I’d wait for the fifth or sixth round to see if he was still available.
However, I do not work for the Chicago Bears. And apparently someone high up in the Bears management team likes the way Mark Banker runs his defense.
Hardin is the fourth player Chicago has drafted from Banker’s Oregon State University defense since 2008. He joins linebacker Joey LaRocque, defensive back Al Afalava and defensive lineman Stephen Paea as Beavers to be picked by the Bears. In the past five drafts, 2010 was the only season in which Chicago didn’t call on an OSU alum to join its defense. (That the Bears didn’t pick a Beaver in 2010 should come as no surprise. Sean Canfield – pick No. 239 overall – was the only OSU alum drafted that year.)
For Hardin, going to the Bears is a great opportunity. After all, it was in Chicago that a lesser-known strong safety by the name of Brian Urlacher turned into one of the top linebackers of his generation. Perhaps a similar switch for Hardin will turn him into one of the game’s preeminent strong safeties. It’s probably a stretch to say his career will ultimately parallel Urlacher’s, but it is a possibility.
And after seeing the way he played cornerback at OSU, it’s a high probability that he’ll be better served at his new position.
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