Atlanta Falcons: What Justin Hardy Brings To The Falcons
With the 107th overall pick of the 2015 NFL Draft, the Atlanta Falcons dialed up wide receiver Justin Hardy from East Carolina.
A savvy, smooth possession receiver, Hardy was selected by head coach Dan Quinn and the Falcons front office to possibly be the replacement for the departing Harry Douglas.
As the Falcons already have receivers Julio Jones and Roddy White in tow, Hardy is in a perfect situation to grow and be properly groomed as a receiver.
Today, we will take an in depth look at what Hardy will bring to the Falcons’ offense:
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WR Justin Hardy
Height: 5’10”
Weight: 192 lbs
Strengths
Hardy is very effective in the short to intermediate game, which is where he made his name at ECU. Hardy possesses great skill as a route runner and soft hands. One glaring characteristic about Hardy is that he high points the ball really well even when the catches are contested. Hardy has excellent footwork which will only get better at the NFL level.
He also shows good agility and can make tackle breaking ability. Quarterback Matt Ryan and the coaches will love how Hardy comes back to the ball and works his way open if the play is being kept alive. Also will block until the whistle which ball carriers love. He ended his career as the FBS all-time catch leader and third all-time in receiving yards.
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Weaknesses
He’s not the fastest receiver. Hardy also doesn’t separate from defenders as much as you would like as he doesn’t have the explosiveness out of the breaks. Hardy doesn’t have the lower body build that some teams would desire however that can come with some weight room sessions. Hardy is more of a football player than a pure athlete.
Take a look at what Hardy can do on the field:
Outlook
Justin Hardy was an excellent value pick in the fourth round for the Falcons. Hardy is going to gel with Matt Ryan quickly as Ryan loves to attack the short to intermediate routes.
With him in the slot along with Devin Hester, teams are going to be on their heels when trying to defend the inside. No, Hardy is not the fastest nor the strongest. However, Hardy is a tough, lunch pail type receiver who plays bigger than his size and has the confidence and mental capacity to go along with it.
As I stated before, Hardy will learn quality techniques as well as the ins and outs of the game from one of the best duos in the game in Julio Jones and Roddy White.