After claiming two players off waivers and signing another veteran free agent, the Chicago Bears appear to have concluded their construction of the main roster ahead of the regular season. That left one job remaining. GM Ryan Poles and head coach Matt Eberflus had to fill out the rest of the practice squad. Most of the 16-man group featured familiar faces, all of whom practiced with the team in training camp. However, some added spice was sprinkled in: players the Bears scooped up from other teams.
One of them was Daniel Hardy, a former 7th round pick of the Los Angeles Rams from last year. He's an interesting story. Hardy wasn't much of a standout for most of his college career. Then, his coaches shifted him to defensive end as a senior. He exploded for 16 sacks and 24 tackles for a loss. Hardy followed that with an outstanding pro day, posting a 4.57 in the 40-yard dash and a 40-inch vertical jump. Couple that with his 34-inch arms, and it's not a surprise the Bears were interested.
In fact, they'd been monitoring him for well over a year. He had a top 30 visit with them before the draft last year.
Daniel Hardy faces size question marks.
He has the length and burst to be an effective pass rusher in the NFL. The tape reflects this. His problem is size. Hardy arrived in the NFL at 6'3 and 235 lbs. While he has added five pounds since turning pro, he's still too light to face pro tackles. Unless he can add at least another ten, his chances of getting a shot on the main roster will be elusive. On the other hand, the Bears might see him as the perfect project for strong-side linebacker. His current size is ideal for that position, and "SAMs" are typically expected to have some pass rush skills.
Daniel Hardy fits that profile. Don't expect him to get much playing time in actual games this year. He is a project. Eberflus and the Bears must figure out what he does best and hope to expand his arsenal of tools. That will take some time. Hardy is a good athlete with enough traits to suggest he can develop into a valuable player. It will come down to whether he can master the demands of whichever position he plays.
