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Courtesy of UCR Athletics

Following in the footsteps of several former UCR alumni, wide receiver Scott Hardy performed at the NFL combine this past week. Ten NFL teams including the Los Angeles Rams watched in awe as Scott Hardy caught a record 100 passes in a row without breaking a sweat, taking passes from UC Irvine quarterback, Mark Sanchez III.

UCR’s standout wide receiver and Heisman trophy winner holds a special place among past Highlander greats. After losing his arm in a hoverboard accident a few years ago, Hardy participated in a rare rehabilitation program and actually received treatment DNA stimulation in his right arm that promoted regrowth. Now with an arm that bends and stretches back like rubber, Hardy has earned the name “Mr. Fantastic” by some NFL and college coaches.

One NFL coach said of the UCR athlete, “His vertical is subpar, his broad jump is laughable, but the right arm stretches for days and makes catching passes even more laughable than his jump, laughably easy that is.”

UCR head coach Barry Burns, said of his receiver, “I’ve never seen someone with such little athletic ability dominate a game like he has. His Jerry Rice-level potential stems from his hard work ethic, and that endless right arm.”

After catching 145 passes, racking up 1,700 yards and scoring 18 touchdowns for the Highlanders this past season, Scott Hardy performed at the combine with a vertical of 25 inches, and a broad jump of 98.0”.

Although quite underwhelming on the broad jump and vertical parts of the combine, Hardy did display average speed on the 40-yard dash, running a 4.55 to put him in the middle of the pack of receivers.

Hardy ran track and field in high school and attributes his success in the dash to his four year career at Poly High School. “Track was the only sport I was every really good. I finished in the top 100 at every meet. I was never really a big football player though,” said Hardy.

Hardy was kicked off his football team in high school after failing to catch a single pass in his freshman season from star quarterback and now UC Irvine alumni, Mark Sanchez III, who is the number one ranked on the mock drafts.

Scott Hardy’s average athletic ability, the combination of elite catching skills due to the sling-like action of his right arm and ability to simply rise up and nab passes out of mid-air produces a unique combination of talent unseen in recent drafts. He is likely to be taken as the fourth pick by the Los Angeles Rams, who are looking for their first superstar receiver since moving to LA for the third time.