James Hardy ( American football ) James W . Hardy , III ( born December 24 , 1985 ) is an American football wide receiver who is currently a member of the Tampa Bay Storm of the Arena Football League . He was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the second round of the 2008 NFL Draft and played college football at Indiana University . High School career . Hardy attended Elmhurst High School , where he played football and basketball . As a senior , he posted 34 catches for 710 yards and 10 touchdown s and was a Class 4A all - state selection by the Indiana Football Coaches Association . As a basketball player , he was runner - up in the Mr . Basketball voting and an Indiana All - Star . He ranks high on the list for the city scoring record for Fort Wayne , with over 2 , 000 points during his four years at Elmhurst . Hardy led Elmhurst to a state championship appearance his senior . However , Elmhurst was defeated by Bishop Chatard High School from Indianapolis . Hardy was also a two - time winner of the Tiffany Gooden award . College career . Hardy redshirted as a true freshman in 2004 . As a redshirt freshman in 2005 , he posted 61 catches for 893 yards and 10 touchdowns . His play earned him a Freshman All - America selection . He followed his stellar freshman season with another good one as he hauled in 51 passes for 722 yards and 10 touchdowns and was named Second Team All - Big Ten for a second straight year . His 20 career receiving touchdowns in his first two years had tied him with Ernie Jones ( 1984 – 1987 ) for second on the university ' s all - time list , trailing only Jade Butcher ( 1967 – 1969 ) and his 30 career TD grabs . As a junior , Hardy caught 74 catches for 1 , 075 yards — ranking third in the Big Ten in both categories — and became the Hoosiers ' all - time receiving leader in touchdowns ( 36 ) , yards ( 2 , 690 ) and receptions ( 186 ) . He was selected first team All - Big Ten selection , a Fred Biletnikoff Award semifinalist and the team ' s most valuable player . During his time at Indiana , Hardy also played on the basketball team for two years . In January 2008 , Hardy declared himself eligible for the 2008 NFL Draft , saying " I have reached the pinnacle of my college football career " . Professional career . Pre - draft . At the NFL Scouting Combine , Hardy was a top 10 performer in the bench press , broad jump , 3 - cone drill , and 20 - yard shuttle . In the bench press Hardy finished 9th among WRs with 18 reps at 225 pounds . Hardy finished 8th in the broad jump with a distance of 10 ' 5 " . He finished 7th in the 3 - cone drill with a time of 6 . 84 seconds . He also finished tied for 7th in the 20 - yard shuttle with a time of 4 . 20 seconds . Official 40 - yard dash was 4 . 49 . Buffalo Bills . Hardy was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the second round ( 41st overall ) of the 2008 NFL Draft . He signed a multi - year contract with the team on July 24 . On September 14 , 2008 , in his second game , Hardy caught his first touchdown late in a win against the Jacksonville Jaguars . He finished the campaign with 9 catches for 87 yards and 2 touchdowns . Hardy played in only 2 games all season in 2009 , catching 1 pass for 9 yards . On September 4 , 2010 Hardy was released by the Bills . Baltimore Ravens . On January 17 , 2011 Hardy was signed to a reserve / future contract by the Baltimore Ravens . However , he practiced very little with the Ravens during the 2011 training camp due to chronic hamstring problems , the same injury that nagged him while with the Bills . He was released by the Ravens on 5 September 2011 ; he has yet to get another shot with an NFL club , as of the 2012 offseason .