James Hardy, 2008 NFL Draft Prospect

Wide Receiver Junior Indiana Ht: 6’ 6” Wt: 218 lbs. Strengths: Height, Reach and Agility Weaknesses: Concentration, Maturity, Speed and Blocking Pro Comparison: Drew Bennett Speed: 4.48

            A basketball player with the height and long arms to give cornerbacks fits, James Hardy has re-written the Indiana record books.  He holds the school’s single season and career marks in both receptions and touchdown catches on his way to becoming the most productive receiver in Indiana history (hold school mark for career reception yards as well). 

            Hardy is coming off of a remarkable junior season that has him ranked as one of the top receiving prospects in the nation.  He is extremely tall at 6’ 6” and has a basketball players build.  His experience playing hoops has helped him immensely with footwork and his ability to use his body against smaller defenders.  When squaring up for a jump ball he looks like a power forward getting ready to gobble up a rebound, boxing out his man, using his rear to create separation and exploding to the ball.  I’m sure many years on the blacktop gave him an innate feel for controlling his feet and it is evident on many of his sideline grabs.  By posting a 4.48/40 at the combine, Hardy proved to have better than expected speed though he is not a burner and is hardly explosive.  He has the ability to be a team primary red zone weapon and will be dangerous in that capacity very quickly.  At times he is unstoppable on fades and post routes and generally wins in a crowd.  While he is not one to generate much after the catch, he does have some elusiveness and uses his long reach well to create separation after the catch.

            Despite his size, Hardy at times leaves you expecting more.  Contrary to what his TD totals might indicate, he is not a big play threat that can take it to the house and his entire game just lacks explosion.  A lack of upper body strength limits his ability to block and escape the jam as smaller defenders are able to get under his pads and he struggles to push them back.  Corners who get physical with him and create a little leverage can muscle him off his route and he shuts it down too easy against these types of corners.  Once his head is out of the game, he might as well be to.  He should be a much better blocker than he is and much of that is due to disinterest, in blocking and in adding the necessary strength.  If he dedicates himself to getting stronger and adding a couple pounds to his very lanky frame, he could be one of the most devastating blockers in the game.  It is easy to picture Hardy locking up smaller defenders in the run game with his great length but there is not enough of it on film.  He will need to sharpen his cuts and route running but he is hindered by his size, with practice he can be much more proficient in this area.  Had an off the field incident involving his girlfriend and infant child which will need to be evaluated closely.

            A yardage-eater who will move the chains, Hardy is a great fit for teams like the Eagles and Redskins who need size in the receiving corps and had red zone problems last year.  He has adequate straight-line speed but until he becomes a savvier route runner he will struggle to become anything more than a secondary possession receiver and red zone target.  Hardy is very talented and his height, body control and long reach will intrigue teams enough to most likely spend a 1^st round pick on him.  At 6’6”, his 31-inch vertical is a little disappointing but he counteracts that by being able to reach full height on his jumps faster than other players and using his long arms to keep defenders at bay.  He looks a lot like Plaxico Burress but plays more like Drew Bennett.  Neither has the burst to get behind defenders or stretch the field, but both are adept at using their height to their advantage.  Bennett is a lanky former volleyball player while Hardy is the lanky former basketball player but they may wind up having a similar impact at the next level. 

Scouting report by Daryl Breault