December 29, 2012; Bronx, NY, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers wide receiver Tavon Austin (1) is tackled by Syracuse Orange cornerback Wayne Morgan (2) during the third quarter of the New Era Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

You would think that the Falcons are fairly set when it comes to their wide receivers. They have two of the best receivers in the league with Julio Jones and Roddy White. They also have an underrated Harry Douglas, who would likely be in a bigger role on another team.

However, it doesn’t hurt at all to add more weapons around Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan.

What the Falcons really need in another wide receiver is a versatile and dynamic player, similar to Percy Harvin’s skill-set. Harvin’s ability to make plays in the backfield and down the field often misguides opposing defenses.

If the Falcons were looking for something similar to Harvin’s skill-set in the draft, then Tavon Austin out of West Virginia is the closest that they will come by. He can do just about everything that you would want out of a versatile and dynamic receiver, maybe even more.

Austin is projected to be a mid-first round pick in this year’s draft, so it is unlikely that he will even reach the Falcons 30^th overall selection. It is more likely that the Falcons will look for that versatile and dynamic receiver in the later rounds of the NFL Draft.

Nov 27, 2011; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Harry Douglas (83) scores a touchdown during the first quarter against the Minnesota Vikings at the Georgia Dome. Mandatory Credit: Josh D. Weiss-US PRESSWIRE

We are all extremely well versed in the thought that the Falcons have a multitude of weapons at the skill positions offensively. Roddy White, Tony Gonzalez, Harry Douglas, Michael Turner, Jacquizz Rodgers, and now Julio Jones who may be the best of them all, with Matt Ryan delivering the passes, this team is poised to make a lot of noise. This article from Yahoo! describes the Falcons offense as getting ready to ‘crank up their air show’. ‘Air show’ is a good description for what the Falcons and fans want from this team.

The piece brings up a good quote from Julio Jones:

I mean, who are you gonna double? Tony? Roddy? Me? That’s six people. What are you gonna do?

Well said, Julio. Who are defenses going to cover? Even if it’s just those three offensive skill players the Falcons line up on the field, its plenty for defenses to worry about. If a team doubled all of those players, it would leave four to rush the passer, and one to cover the other two skill players.

Obviously you’re not going to double-cover all three of those individuals. But if you double cover two of them, that would leave three individuals in man coverage. Those three would probably be Tony Gonzalez, Harry Douglas, and whoever is playing running back. At times, teams would probably choose to cover different players. For example, I would double Gonzalez in the red-zone or at the goal line. That would leave others in single coverage.

The great thing about the two great outside receivers the Falcons have in White and Jones, is that both consistently beat single coverage, and can even win when double covered, which is especially the case with Jones. Having guys that can win regardless of how the defense chooses to cover them is a huge advantage, one the Falcons will be able to use all season long.

Now, zone coverage certainly changes things a little, but it is another aspect where the Falcons can succeed. White, Gonzalez, and Douglas are veterans who know how to find the holes in zone coverage, settle in those holes, and get open. Julio Jones is only in his second year, but he has proven he can get open against underneath coverage, and he excels at stretching the deep zones, which in turn will help set up route combinations to the other receivers. If the line can hold up for a reasonable amount of time, which it has thus far in the preseason, there in no reason to believe this air show won’t take up and thrill us all.

October 9, 2011; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Harry Douglas (83) runs after a catch in the second quarter of the game against the Carolina Panthers at the Georgia Dome. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Shirey-US PRESSWIRE

It seems to me like every single season that Harry Douglas is expected to have a great level of production with the amount of talent around him on the offensive side of the ball. In 2010 he was supposed to be a solid contributor, but I know that he wasn’t completely healed from his 2009 severe knee injury. Coming into the 2011 season, I expected him to contribute a great deal. He was a major safety valve in the home game against the Saints, but for the other 15 games he wasn’t really a factor. He only had 1 TD catch on the season for crying out loud! Considering opposing defenses have Roddy White, Julio Jones, Tony Gonzalez, and Michael Turner to worry about, you’d think he would be the forgotten man who could easily find the void in the defense.

For whatever reason, HD hasn’t been a great contributor in his four seasons in a Falcons uniform. Maybe this is going to be the year he really becomes that guy who wins in single-man coverage. At this point, I’m no longer going to count on it. I want HD to take the job by the reigns, grab the slot receiver job, take some underneath covering defenders out of their shoes, and score a handful of touchdowns. But I don’t think we can just expect it anymore.

What are your thoughts on Harry Douglas and his role with the Falcons?