Buffalo Bills rookie defensive back and return man Daequan Hardy is quick to respond when asked what type of player he is.

“I feel like I’m a playmaker,” Hardy said. “I’m good with the ball in my hands.”

Whether it’s on defense or on special teams returning kicks, he has one thing on his mind. 

“Game-changing plays go a long way,” he said. “That’s how you get etched in the history books.” 

Hardy, a 6th round draft choice of the Bills in April, has been writing his football story since he was 6 years old. 

Never the biggest guy on the field — the Bills list him at 5’9”, 178 lbs. — he’s used his speed as his primary weapon. He ran a 4.38-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine.

“I was always like a smaller stature guy, so going through the recruitment process, I wasn’t really scouted that much,” Hardy said.

After leading Penn Hills High School (PA) to a state championship, Penn State gave him a last-minute offer to play there in college and he accepted. Before that, Hardy was silently committed to the University at Buffalo — and coincidentally — that’s the city where fate would bring him as a pro.  

“It’s like a full circle. I was supposed to come here for college [but] ended up going to Penn State,” he said. “And then come around five years later, I’m here playing in the National Football League. It’s definitely a full circle moment.”

The Bills drafted him in hopes he could be their kick returner to provide those explosive plays — and Hardy’s more than happy to oblige. In his final year at Penn State, he returned two punts for touchdowns. During the preseason, Hardy has been working on his decision-making when it comes to fielding the ball in dangerous places on the field.

“Every time I touch the ball I try to think ‘house call,’ so I’m either thinking of a way to get that big return and go to the house, or put my offense in good field position,” he said.

In order to make the team, Hardy also must prove his worth on defense where he’s worked inside at nickel and outside cornerback this summer.  

“A lot of guys in my position being a lot taller than me, like 6’2”, 6’3”, so I don’t take it for granted,” he said. “I know when the plays come, I’ve got to make those plays to take advantage of my opportunity. So, I definitely have that chip on my shoulder going in each day.”

It’s a mindset he believes will lead to big things in the NFL.