Atlanta Falcons: Could Justin Hardy surpass Mohamed Sanu?

Mohamed Sanu was overpaid if he is nothing more than the player he has been in seasons past. He has yet to break off any sort of consistent season and lacks the speed or psychical capabilities to run through tackles.

This combined with his lack of opportunities in Cincy have left NFL experts split on whether he is primed to have a breakout season with the Atlanta Falcons, or one that will make him one of the most overpaid players in football.

If everything goes according to plan Sanu will be the Robin to Julio Jones Batman, and the Falcons will have little need to worry about their receiving corps. If Sanu however can not live up to expectations the Falcons will have a legitimate concern as to who is capable of stepping up to be the number two receiver that the Falcons need.

The answer is Justin Hardy. Hardy has been a trendy sleeper pick for Falcons fans of late and has impressed both teammates and the coaching staff. We saw flashes of his capabilities last season though he failed to have a breakout game per say he made several flashy catches that showed his ability.

If Sanu starts out slow or fails to live up to the Falcons expectations not only will Hardy leapfrog him on the depth chart he will take away Sanu’s chance to prove he is the number two receiver on this team. On a team that is starved for defense, they will need to win some shoot outs. When they find an offensive combination that works they will stick with it barring injury.

While Sanu is obviously the player to beat at this point it would not surprise me to see Hardy take his spot by Week 8 and for Sanu to become the distraction and gadget player that he was with the Bengals.

Next: Falcons training camp storylines: Rookie watch

Both Hardy and Sanu are worth keeping a close eye on throughout training camp and preseason action. August 11 will kickoff preseason game action as the Falcons take on the Redskins.