Atlanta Falcons: Top 5 Rookies Heading Into Camp
By John Buhler
Oct 23, 2014; Greenville, NC, USA; East Carolina Pirates wide receiver Justin Hardy (2) runs with ball before the game against the Connecticut Huskies at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium. The East Carolina Pirates defeated the Connecticut Huskies 31-21. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports
44. . WR. East Carolina. Justin Hardy. 3. player
Getting WR Justin Hardy in the 4th Round of the NFL Draft was a complete steal by the Atlanta Falcons. How does a guy who holds an NCAA Career Record for receptions not go in at least Day Two of the NFL Draft? Was it because he was a walk-on? Was it because he didn’t play at a Power 5 school? Does it matter?
No, because that Atlanta Falcons just drafted their next great wideout. I know that I wrote an article about a month ago saying that Hardy is 4th on the Falcons WR depth chart. I’m now retracting that. Justin Hardy is the 3rd WR on the Atlanta Falcons behind only Julio Jones and Roddy White. Expect the veteran leadership of Jones and White to rub off on Hardy as he becomes a starter in the slot for the Falcons this season.
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Atlanta must have had its eyes on Hardy from the start as they let longtime slot receiver Harry Douglas go this offseason. You don’t let a solid third option walk out the door to the Tennessee Titans unless you’re sure that what you’ve got is better. With Hardy, I’m confident the Atlanta Falcons are going to continue to thrive in the passing game for some time.
Call me crazy now, but I think that Justin Hardy is their heir apparent to Roddy White once the Atlanta Falcons’ greatest WR of all time decides to call it a career. Given Hardy’s sure hands and QB Matt Ryan‘s ability to throw a consistently catchable ball, expect for Justin to contribute right away in the passing game of new OC Kyle Shanahan.
Getting Justin Hardy in the 4th round was the steal of the 2015 NFL Draft for the Atlanta Falcons. I’m not sure anybody else in the league got more bang for their buck than the Dirty Birds did by taking Justin Hardy on Day Three.
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