via www.king-mag.com
Given my enthusiasm for this pick, you're probably wondering how I'll keep the tone neutral, as befitting the editorial nature of this blog. Then you'll remember that I'm full of crap. For an examination of the heavily slanted pros, cons and likely role for our young Atlanta Falcons fan, read after the jump.
History: Most importantly, is an Atlanta Falcons fan. Played baseball and basketball well in high school before concentrating on his receivertude at Louisville. Incredibly, he only started 19 of his 46 games, but still ranks second all time in receiving yardage at the school. Was a talented special teamer with no major character concerns, and a couple of minor leg injuries were the only thing (besides the coaching staff) stopping him from getting on the field.
Pros: Saying Douglas is fast is like saying that Dave the Falconer is a tiny bit verbose. He's got very good speed and agility, and as a result could demand more coverage as he slides past whatever helpless nickel back is trying to stop him. His production at college basically speaks for itself, as he's perfectly capable of catching the ball in traffic, alone, or in the Siberian tundra. Terrific athlete who, again, has only slight injury concerns. Aside from size, is pretty much the prototype slot receiver.
Cons: Small, and as a result can be stopped cold at the line of scrimmage. Scouts are concerned over his small hands, but scouts have an odd obsession with the size of body parts (insert your own joke here.) Douglas needs to work on his route running, which is the only thing keeping him from really kicking butt out there.
Role: Douglas is likely to fit right in to the slot or as a fourth receiver this year, even though Mike Smith isn't a huge fan of three receiver sets. He'll surely contribute on special teams (a pattern with this year's draft class) right away, and by the end of the year you might see him on the field more often that you'd expect.
Final Thoughts: In this system, Douglas is likely to have a limited role at first. Out of all the picks from Day Two, however, he seems the likeliest to have long term success. We haven't had a fast, capable slot receiver in what seems like a decade, so I welcome Harry Douglas to the team with open arms.