
The NFL Arizona Cardinals signed tight ends Brett Brackett and Andre Hardy (#80) to reserve/futures contracts.
AzCardinals.com Excerpt --- The way Jimmy Graham and Antonio Gates make it look, every undersized power forward in college should ditch the sneakers for spikes and hold tight for inevitable NFL stardom.
Those two highlight the list of former basketball players who have made the transition to the NFL look easy, converting quickly into dangerous tight ends. The list also includes the Broncos’ Julius Thomas and the Browns’ Jordan Cameron, as well as the player who started the trend, former Chiefs and Falcons star Tony Gonzalez.
The Cardinals would love for a similar development to take shape and have two players – Andre Hardy and Darren Fells – who fit the criteria. It’s just not that simple.
“It’s nowhere near as easy as those guys make it look,” Hardy said. “It’s actually been a much harder journey than I
expected it would be.”
Hardy would have played college football if the opportunity presented itself out of high school, but there was more recruiting interest from basketball coaches. He played two years of hoops at Oral Roberts and two more at Cal State Fullerton, averaging 7.0 points and 5.6 rebounds for his career.
Even then, Hardy’s mind would wander every Saturday during the fall. ( GO TO FULL ARTICLE )