Atlanta Falcons: Who Is The Team’s 3rd Receiver?

The Atlanta Falcons have one of the deepest wide receivers groups in the NFL.  That is due in large part to having two perennial Pro Bowlers on the outside: Julio Jones and Roddy White.  Since 2011 when Jones joined the team his rookie season, Atlanta has consistently had one of the League’s most productive passing attacks.

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QB Matt Ryan’s ascension to a Top 10 passer came to fruition under former OC Dirk Koetter.  Under Koetter Ryan not only got both Jones and White to Pro Bowls with his catchable passes, his accuracy allowed Harry Douglas (now with the Tennessee Titans) to have a 1,000 yard season in 2013 and even got return specialist integrated into the passing game last season.

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But with a new sheriff in town in HC Dan Quinn and a new OC in Kyle Shanahan, the Atlanta Falcons will no longer be just a pass-only type of offense.  The team looks to feature a more balanced attack by establishing a strong running game in Shanahan’s zone blocking scheme.  While we know which receivers will be No.1 and 2 on the Atlanta Falcons’ depth chart, who is the team’s 3rd wide receiver now that Douglas is in Nashville?

Heading into 2015 it looks like a three-horse race for that coveted 3rd receiver slot.  Newly signed free agent Leonard Hankerson, rookie out of East Carolina University Justin Hardy, and perennial Pro Bowl return specialist Devin Hester are the men competing for that spot in Kyle Shanahan’s offense.

Hankerson, previously with the Washington Redskins, is already somewhat familiar to what Shanahan is trying to accomplish offensively.  Both were part of the Redskins organization from when Kyle’s father Mike coached the team a few years back.  Hank also knows how to coexist in a deep WR corps as he has had to play alongside DeSean Jackson, Pierre Garcon, and Santana Moss while in DC.

Hardy comes to the Atlanta Falcons as the all-time career receptions leader in the NCAA while playing in Greenville, NC for the ECU Pirates.  Justin’s tireless work ethic turned him from a former collegiate walk-on to a fourth round draft selection in the 2015 NFL Draft (107th Overall).  His sure-handedness and student mentality makes him a serious threat to win the starting job in the slot even as a rookie.

Hester is a wild card here.  Anything he gives the Atlanta Falcons in the receiving department is an added bonus to his Hall of Fame worthy return game.  Under Koetter last year, Hester improved his route running and made a positive impact in the Falcons receiving corps as a solid fourth option.

While he can definitely make plays in space, I think it’s a combination of frequent drops and his role as an elite special teams player that will make it a difficult challenge for Hester to slide into third on the Atlanta Falcons’ receiving depth chart.  That’s not to say that he can’t still make an impact in the receiving game for Shanahan, just not at a prolific level required out of the slot in this era of the National Football League.

So really the competition will come down to either veteran Leonard Hankerson or rookie Justin Hardy.  Honestly, I hope they both win.  I remember Hank being able to score on long touchdown passes from Robert Griffin, III while playing for the Redskins.  Hank could be very valuable to the Falcons in his ability to stretch the field.

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Hardy I can see as a reliable target on third-down situations, especially given the Falcons’ uncertainties coming from the tight end position.  I my opinion I believe that Atlanta is grooming Hardy to become a Roddy White-type of receiver for the Falcons once the Dirty Birds most prolific pass catcher retires after the next few seasons.

Though he may not sit third on the Falcons depth chart entering the home opener against the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday Night Football, I think Justin Hardy becomes the Falcons primary weapon in the slot a third of the way through the season.  It’s close but I’ll give the slight edge to Leonard Hankerson at the moment though Hardy is barely behind him on the Falcons WR depth chart.

Next: Atlanta Falcons Starting Center: Hawley Or Stone?

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