Panther Nation give a warm welcome for C3's newest contributor, Gerin Honeycutt, a journalism major from East Carolina University. Most important, however, this up and coming sports journalist is one of us, a die hard Panther fan! Give it up for the newest member of the Crew and leave a comment for his first story!
Don’t beat yourself up Panther fans, your next
great wide receiver could be right under your nose. Well, 250 miles east under
your nose at East Carolina University. Greenville, North Carolina is where NFL
recruiters have discovered what two years ago would have been considered a
“diamond in the rough.” Enter current ECU Wide Receiver/Punt Returner Justin
Hardy. After a jaw dropping sixty-four reception, 658 yard, six touchdown and Conference
USA All-Freshman team campaign, Hardy has done nothing but amass two seasons of
inspired offensive production—202 receptions and 2,389 yards, averaging over a
first down every time he catches the ball and let’s not forget those nineteen
touchdowns. Consistent play like this has elevated the 6’1 190 lb Hardy off the
list of NFL possible gems and onto a lot of NFL recruiter’s top wide receiver’s
board for the 2015 draft.
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| Hardy catching TD on Panther CB Melvin White |
The two time first team All-Conference selection
does not shy away from competition either. If there are any Pirate readers out there,
you guys know that ECU, season after season, always plays one of the hardest
non-conference schedules of any low-tier FBS school. Let that not be a knock to
ECU, who is set to start their first year in the newly settled American
Conference this year. Today’s fans, however, seem more critical of schools not
matched with a powerful conference’s logo, such as the SEC, B1G 10, ACC, and PAC-12.
Many players underestimate talent found at smaller market colleges. Just because a player didn’t come out of a
large magnate high school or enter into a large market college program doesn’t
mean that there isn’t top level talent at the smaller market schools. The talent may be less acclaimed, but Hardy
shows it’s there and that they can compete at the highest levels.
Hardy battled this irritating situation from day
one, where his only scholarship offer was from Fayetteville State. Hardy to eventually choose to walk on at ECU
with the hopes of earning a scholarship instead. Hardy spent his first year as
a redshirt trying to make a name for himself by splitting time at quarterback
and wide receiver on the scout team. He’s worked, fought, and scrapped from day
one. It’s paid off at the collegiate
level where he has become the top offensive option for the ECU Pirates. His
work isn’t over yet though. Hardy has one last season at ECU to prove to
critical NFL scouts that he is NFL ready. What’s scary about this is that he Hardy only
has three years of experience and still has a full season to work on this
craft. If he keeps pace with his improvement and dominance to this point, he
could wind up being a national standout and a favorite among NFL scouts.
I recently spoke Hardy’s former teammate and ECU
receiver, Andrew Bodenheimer. He quickly emphasized Hardy’s high football IQ, stating
“If you put Hardy with a set of NFL coaches, he has potential to be one of the
more dangerous wide receivers in the league.” From what I’ve seen on film, the
only downside to Hardy is his knack to push himself too hard causing him
sometimes to make plays harder on himself than they should be. Occasionally,
you’ll see Hardy’s fundamentals slip in the process. NFL scouts know this is an
easy fix that can be coached out by even a sub-par wide receiver coach.
Another unsung attribute to add to Hardy’s skill
set is his impressive blocking ability. He constantly finds a way to get into the
chest of safeties and linebackers who trump him in size, yet his technique is so
smooth he manages to win the higher percentage of those battles. He’s also
tallied a good amount of crack backs, and every fan loves a good crack back! Hardy’s
willingness to block downfield is an attribute cherished by the Carolina
Panthers. Every receiver they have
brought in this offseason is willing to get on a defender in support of the
run-game. Hardy would fit right in the
Carolina Culture.
While all of these qualities help chisel Hardy’s
sculpture, none help set him apart from other receivers more than his elite
catching and playmaking abilities. With disproportionately humongous hands,
Hardy is basically a wide receiver equipped with two catcher’s mitts, enabling
him to catch anything in his area code. Let’s just say he’s no Brandon Lafell
if that helps boost any Panther fan’s confidence. Hardy has made numerous
circus catches throughout his career, many over top-tier defensive backs. The scariest
part about Hardy’s game is his Dante Hall-like agility when he has the ball in
the open field. Hardy even averaged nearly nine yards a punt return last year,
showing he is an effective special teams’ contributor.
The young star has impressively been able to
amass such numbers when being the focus of opposing defenses as well. Facing double teams, game after game, Hardy
has still put up monster numbers. Lincoln Riley, ECU’s Offensive Coordinator,
loved putting Hardy in sets that isolated him on one side of the field. I’m
sure he didn’t mind Hardy’s versatility to work the slot either.
Hardy’s speed isn’t out of this world. He will probably clock in the mid to high
4.5s when we do see an official time.
Being a straight burner isn’t his game though. Hardy has that rare skill set that translates
in the NFL just as much as speed does.
He is fearless, hardworking, has crazy hands, and has playmaking
ability. We’ve seen the fast guys, Ted
Ginn and Hayward-Bay that had the speed, but lacked the tools. Hardy has better than average speed and a
skill set that makes scouts drool.
Hardy is kind of a new
aged Hakeem Nicks minus the injuries, but adding the voluntary team activities.
Any team, not just the Panthers, would be fortunate to have this guy. To me
however, the silky smooth Hardy looks like the perfect piece beside Kelvin
Benjamin to load Cam up with for the future. Tune in this year to Justin Hardy
folks. After his opener against North
Carolina Central, he and his Pirates take on the South Carolina Gamecocks on
ESPN 2, Saturday September, 6th at 7 P.M. I guarantee you the show will not
disappoint. S o in the words of the six-time pro bowler Terrell Owens, “Get
your popcorn ready.”
By Gerin Honeycutt
