Kansas State safety Tysyn Hartman wasn’t drafted in the seven rounds of the 2012 NFL Draft, but he did receive an invite as an undrafted free agent to join the team closest to his alma mater: the Kansas City Chiefs. Drafted or not, Hartman is ready to make his NFL dreams come true at the next level.
Hartman recently took part in the Chiefs rookie-minicamp along with the Chiefs draftees and several tryout players. Now he’s at OTAs with the rest of the Chiefs’ veteran core.
"It was fun," said Hartman. "You’re just glad the Kansas City organization gave you the opportunity to come out here. Of course you have to keep working hard to improve. They threw us in the fire during rookie minicamp and fortunately, I came out of that alive. Now things are sinking in."
Hartman was one of the better safeties in college football last season for K-State, and the team he’s trying out for can certainly use another playmaker at the position. The Chiefs lost Eric Berry for the season last year and Kendrick Lewis had offseason surgery. The secondary as a whole has been thin in recent seasons, and the team drafted Dequan Menzie from Alabama in the fifth round to help that.
However, Menzie is a versatile player who can also play corner. There’s still room for another safety or two if a player contributes can contribute in multiple ways. Veteran Donald Washington is also in the mix, as is cornerback Travis Daniels. Other hopefuls include Terrance Parks and Kyle McCarthy.
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