Atlanta Falcons 20 most important players: #19 Justin Hardy

As the regular season nears, we’re counting down the 20 most important players on the Atlanta Falcons roster. At No. 19 is wide receiver Justin Hardy.

It took a while for Justin Hardy to make his Falcons debut, but he flashed a ton of potential at the backend of his rookie season. Looking ahead, it’s important not to focus on the small sample size Hardy was given to show what he can do, but rather the potential he has in Kyle Shanahan’s offense.

What should excite Falcons fans is how he can operate as the number three receiver in Atlanta. With Julio Jones and Mohamed Sanu working on the boundaries, Hardy will spend a lot of time in the slot.

Hardy has great hands and a good catching radius, meaning he can haul in passes away from his body. We saw this a couple of times last season, with Hardy making some key connections with Matt Ryan on third downs to move the chains.

What’s impressive with Hardy is not only his ability to catch and secure the football, but also his route-running. With the ball in his hands, he can add extra yardage after the catch.

The key for Hardy this offseason is to develop chemistry with Ryan. He wasn’t used early on in the season as he got familiar with the playbook, but Hardy appeared to grow in confidence down the stretch.

We’ll catch our first glimpse of Hardy’s development at training camp. Here, we’ll see how much more comfortable he looks in Shanahan’s offense and with Ryan sending the ball his way. Will he line up in the slot frequently or will the Falcons move him around?

It’s going to be interesting to see exactly how they plan on using him, and just what he can offer with a year in the league under his belt.

Next: Devonta Freeman: Fantasy first-rounder?

The Falcons need their receivers not named Julio Jones to step up in 2016. Hardy’s potential gives plenty of reason for optimism.