Bears sign Brandon Hardin; entire draft class under contract
BY SEAN JENSEN Twitter: @seankjensen May 15, 2012 12:19PM
Updated: May 15, 2012 4:17PM
The Bears this morning completed a four-year contract with safety Brandon Hardin, which means the 2012 draft class is completely signed.
Hardin’s deal is worth $2.7 million, according to a league source.
The Bears have historically been one of the more aggressive clubs in signing draft picks. Hardin’s deal was a bit more complicated because clubs and agents were at odds on several key issues in the third round.
The 79th overall pick, Hardin played at Oregon State. He’s 6-2, 222 pounds, and he started of 38 games played for the Beavers (2007-11), registering 105 tackles (73 solo), three tackles for loss, three forced fumbles, one interception and seven passes defended.
He missed the entire 2011 season with a shoulder injury.
Hardin is an imposing athlete, and he’ll make an immediate impression on special teams. The team, though, is hoping he can develop as a strong safety. It’ll take time, though, since he mostly played cornerback in college.
