Former Jaguars Star Kevin Hardy Reflects on His Own Draft Day Story, Trevor Lawrence and More
The NFL Draft has changed a lot since former Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker Kevin Hardy went through the process 25 years ago. It was the lifeblood of the NFL even then, but today the three-day event is a national celebration for thousands.
But the magic and thrill of the draft hasn't changed. The elation and the joy in a moment where all of the hard work a player has put in has finally culminated into their ultimate goal. While the draft been reshaped in the last two decades, that hasn't changed a bit.
"I was actually in New York and at the time the draft was at Madison Square Garden and Paul Tagliabue was the commissioner. And you know, the hype leading up the draft wasn’t obviously as big as it is today, but it certainly was big," Hardy said.
"And obviously for me as an individual it was huge because the consensus talk was that I was going to be a top-5 draft choice. And so as you can imagine, that was really exciting. And when draft day hit, Jacksonville chose me second, so I didn’t have to wait long and, you know, it was just an exciting moment for me and my family."
That is one reason Hardy has enjoyed remaining a part of the draft in recent years. He announced the Jaguars' second-round selection of Jawaan Taylor in 2019, and he is now set to do the same on Day 2 of this year's draft in Cleveland, which kicks off with Thursday's first round.
"It is special because I went through the process and I know how big it is for the players that are experiencing it at the time. It is obviously a life-changing day, a life-changing night, and it is just a tremendously exciting time for anybody who has the potential to have their name called," Hardy told Jaguar Report this week.
Other players announcing picks for the NFL over the next few days include Orlando Pace, John Randle, Anthony Muñoz, Drew Pearson, Franco Harris, Will Shields, and several current stars. In Hardy's eyes, that is an invaluable resource for both the future and the past stars of the NFL to take advantage of.
"Because I know if I had been in the shoes and being able to meet and connect with some legends; I mean, you got some guys that are Hall of Famers, you got some guys that are Pro Bowlers, you got guys that have walked the shoes where you hope to walk," Hardy said. "So just being a part of that is really special and is something I am really looking forward to again and I jumped at the opportunity when I was asked to do it."
Thursday's NFL Draft will be a stark contrast compared to last year's. The NFL didn't budge on holding its scheduled draft during the COVID-19 pandemic last April, but they did make it an all-virtual event and pre-draft process. It was like no other draft in NFL history.
"When you talk about the draft last year, I know obviously guys were excited to be drafted, but I mean, it is just not the same -- It is just not the same experience for the players and certainly obviously not the same experience for the fans," Hardy said.
This year, however, there will be a shift back to the ways of old. The NFL has placed a high emphasis on promoting vaccinations, adhering to CDC guidelines, the continued need for face coverings in public spaces, and supporting communities hurt by the pandemic. The NFL legends announcing the picks will all be vaccinated as well. This, all partly an effort to bring back the days of NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell announcing picks (and likely hearing a few boos) and getting some bear hugs from players whose dreams became true.
"And so the NFL has done a lot to try to get things back to normal and to really connect the fan to the players and to the game like they are accustomed to," Hardy said.
"And you know, in the process they are really reaching out and being a societal leader and making sure they are following the CDC guidelines and initiatives to promote, you know, people getting vaccinated and to also continue to wear face coverings and just being responsible so we can do the things that they deem that we need to do in order to get back to the way things used to be and the way things, you know, the way things that we are accustomed to being."
For Hardy, this year brings an especially important year for his Jaguars. Hardy still lives in Jacksonville and follows the team closely. For him and every other supporter of the team, it has been a tough road for the Jaguars to get to the No. 1 overall pick, which they hold on Thursday and will use to select Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence.
"Since I have retired. I have made my home in Jacksonville. So I am a part of this community every single day and I am always obviously running into people, you know, huge Jaguars fans. And the past few years have been rough," Hardy said. "Since they went to the AFC Championship Game in 2017 ... it has really been tough."
But Hardy senses the same thing every other fan and support of the team senses: hope and optimism. It is the sentiment Jaguars owner Shad Khan has presented, a motivation one the fan base has rallied behind, and a feeling that has spread over the entire city of Jacksonville.
"This whole city, this whole community is really looking forward to [Thursday] night because obviously everybody is looking at Trevor Lawrence as being a generational type player and the type of player that, you know, can hopefully bring the franchise back," Hardy said.
"You don’t want to put that kind of pressure, you don’t want that kid to experience that kind of pressure. But at the same time, everybody is excited to have the opportunity to have him come to Jacksonville. And as well as Urban Meyer because he has really energized this community because of his history, having been in Florida, you know he has a lot of fans around here. There is just a lot of excitement."
Lawrence to the Jaguars will be an obvious selection once the draft begins at 8 p.m. this evening. It will be not only the most obvious No. 1 overall pick in recent years, it will be the most telegraphed and clear selection in the franchise's history.
One pick that wasn't so obvious in Jaguars' past was actually the selection of Hardy himself. Hardy is tied with Tony Boselli and Luke Joeckel as the highest-drafted players in franchise history before Lawrence takes the top spot over all of them. He went on to be one of the best picks, too.
Jacksonville's all-time leader in playoff tackles, Hardy is fifth in team history in tackles with 789. Hardy also recorded more than 30 tackles for loss, 28.5 sacks, eight forced fumbles, six fumble recoveries and five interceptions, making him one of the most productive and versatile defenders in team history.
But as Hardy describes it, he thought he had a chance of going to any of the team's picking in the top-5 in 1996 ... except for probably the Jaguars. He wasn't sure the Jaguars had interest because they hadn't brought him in like the other teams picking in that range did.
"Well I actually was a little surprised. And the reason was because the top-5 teams that year were the Jets, Jacksonville, Arizona Cardinals, Baltimore, and New York Giants. And I had taken visits to all five of those teams except Jacksonville," Hardy said.
Hardy said that he knew the night before he wouldn't be the No. 1 overall pick, even though at one point there had been some discussion about the possibility. The night before the draft, he and his agent spoke with Pat Kirwan, then the Jets' director of player administration, who informed them that Keyshawn Johnson would be the top pick.
"And so we knew going into it that we weren't going to be 1, and we didn’t think 2 because you know, we hadn't really spoken much to Jacksonville," Hardy said. "So when we did get the call and the pick was made, it was a bit of a surprise, and obviously it was a welcome surprise."
It was a welcome surprise for Hardy, who went on to become a Pro Bowler and All-Pro linebacker with the Jaguars, and one of the defining picks of the Jaguars' early era. Now, Hardy will look on as the Jaguars make the defining picks of their next era.
