He played college football for the Oregon State Beavers before being selected by the Chicago Bears in the third round of the 2012 NFL draft.
[3] The Chicago Bears chose Hardin in the third round of the 2012 NFL draft despite him missing the entire 2011 college football season with a shoulder ailment and having an extensive injury history during his career at Oregon State.
[4][5] NFL Network draft analyst Mike Mayock called Hardin "a big, good-looking kid who will definitely play inside in Chicago.
"[8] On August 18, 2012, during a pre-season game against the Washington Redskins, Hardin left the 3rd quarter with a neck injury, and had to be carted off the field.
[9] The injury came when he was tackling Redskins tight end Logan Paulsen, which caused him to lie on the field for 10 minutes.