Justin Hardy

Though he has never eclipsed 21 receptions in any of his three NFL seasons, Hardy has been notably efficient with the opportunities that have been afforded to him, ranking second among Falcons wide receivers with a catch rate of 68.3 percent since 2016. Taylor Gabriel's departure to Chicago during free agency boded well for a Hardy breakout campaign. That is, until the Falcons selected Alabama star receiver Calvin Ridley with the 26th overall pick in this year's draft. Still, in a high-flying offense that finished eighth in the league with 249.4 passing yards per game last season, Hardy is liable to put up a couple double-digit outings in standard scoring formats.

Despite finding the end zone four times in 2016, many people expected more out of Hardy last season. In the pass-happy offense, fantasy owners hoped Hardy would be the beneficiary of the extra attention being paid to Julio Jones and Mohamed Sanu. However, it was Taylor Gabriel who stepped into that role, and he found the end zone seven times. Hardy is entering his third season, so there's still time for him to find his stride and be a regular contributor to this offense, but with so many weapons, it's unlikely that Hardy will see much more than a few targets per game. He could also end up having extra value on special teams with the departure of Eric Weems.

When Roddy White was released in early March, it appeared that Hardy would become the de facto starter across from Julio Jones, but the Falcons decided to make a move and sign Mohamed Sanu during free agency just a few days later. Sanu is now expected to handle the second wide receiver duties, while Hardy likely will be moved to the slot. Hardy can certainly be efficient in that role, and there's little reason to think he won't improve on a 21-catch, 194-yard rookie season.

Nobody has caught more balls (387) in FBS history than Hardy (who the Falcons selected with their fourth-round pick in this year’s draft) did in his four years at East Carolina. Few doubt Hardy’s talent, but he steps into an offense with two solid starters and a group of receivers looking to prove their worth. Julio Jones and Roddy White are the Week 1 starters, but Hardy has the opportunity to move into the third receiver slot with an effective preseason. That said, he’ll need to beat out Devin Hester - who tallied more than 500 yards last season - and Leonard Hankerson, who signed with the Falcons on a one-year deal this offseason. If he can beat out the pair, the rookie wideout could blossom into a nice receiving threat similar to the Packers’ Davante Adams in his 2014 rookie campaign.