2015 NFL Draft Scouting Report – Justin Hardy, WR East Carolina

Justin Hardy is going to leave East Carolina with his name stamped all over their record book.  After setting a number of single season records as a junior, Hardy came back as a senior and managed to match or beat those marks as well as put up a number of career marks, all while being a well rounded weapon both for the Pirates as well as the NFL.

In East Carolina’s offense, Hardy plays both as an outside receiver as well as in the slot.  Wherever he is, he tends to be the primary read, both on quick routes as well as longer developing routes.  East Carolina’s offense with Shane Carden at quarterback, can make quick, timing throws as well as longer developing routes, showing a good amount of variety in how effective Hardy can be.  In addition to being the primary receiving threat, Hardy is also the team’s punt returner.

More from NFL Draft News

• 2024 NFL Draft: Prospect Viewing Guide for Week 0
• 2024 NFL Draft: All Eyes On NFL Draft Defensive Prospects
• Player Spotlight: USC Safety Calen Bullock
• 2024 Senior Bowl Watchlist Announced
• 2024 NFL Draft: Florida State is Loaded with Prospect in 2023

Vitals & Build

• Born December 18th, 1991 (Will be 23 at the time of the NFL Draft)
• 6′ 188lbs (Listed)

Hardy has a strong, lean build for the wide receiver position.  Though his body is lean, he has broad shoulders and extremely long arms that allow him to play much bigger than his height and weight would suggest.  He has good feet and excellent body control combined with great agility and long speed.  Hardy still has the potential to add weight in the NFL and if he can do that while maintaining his athleticism, it could enable him to take his game to another level.

Route Running & Technique

Hardy has shown he can be an effective technical receiver both in terms of having the physical abilities as well as the understanding of the game.  His physical development is evident in just how precise he can be in his route running and his experience shows in his awareness and savvy in setting up and beating opponents.

The one area that Hardy really needs to address is his stance.  His stance has him with his legs far apart.  As a result, when he wants to drive off of his back leg, his motion goes down before it goes forward.

• Hardy’s wide stance produces a significant bounce as he gets off of the line.

When Hardy wants to go with a short, quick release such as against press, he still is forced to step forward with his back foot to gather himself to make a move.  Regardless of how he wants to come off of the line of scrimmage, his stance proves to be a detriment.  In the best case, his bounce off of the line of scrimmage is relatively small, but he just needs to get his back foot further under him with his weight forward, so that when the ball is snapped, all of his motion is going forward.  It will make him look that much faster.

Hardy, when he is into his routes, has terrific feet and body control that enables him to create a ton of separation.  He is able to make cuts and stop his body with few steps, which makes it incredibly difficult for opponents to mirror him in coverage.  Hardy has shown he can be efficient with 45, 90, and 180 degree cuts in addition to just stopping such as how he runs hitch routes.  He is able to sink his hips well and shows good leg strength to push out from his cuts and create burst.

• Hardy gets past the defender going vertical, then blows him away with the out cut.

Beyond how precise he can run routes, Hardy has demonstrated he can set up defenders and allow his physical abilities to make it easier for him to get open and make plays.

• Hardy subtly sets up the route outside, then makes the hard cut inside, getting the defender off balance and forces him to grab him.  Rather than looking for a referee to plead his case, Hardy fights through the contact, makes his cut back outside and catches the touchdown pass.

Hands

Hardy is a confident hands catcher that is comfortable reaching out and making plays on the ball away from his body.  His broad shoulders and long arms allow him to have a wide catch radius and while Hardy has shown he can make some great plays, some spectacular, he needs to continue to get more consistent to maximize just his effective catching radius.

Hardy has strong hands and makes it difficult to separate once he locks onto it.  Most of the missed opportunities for Hardy usually come down to his ability to track the ball and adjust quickly enough.  Outside of the occasional bobble, Hardy really does not really drop passes.  He can catch a few passes more cleanly, but he makes the plays he should.

Hardy does a great job of using his body to shield opponents out from passes, playing bigger than his measurements would suggest.

• Hardy uses his body to box out the opponent and make the catch.

• Hardy is looking inside and when the ball is thrown to his outside shoulder, he spins inside to make the jump and catch the ball on the outside.

• Hardy is able to reach out and tip the ball to himself before securing it for the touchdown.  He turns his body as he catches it so that it does not touch the ground.

Run After Catch

Hardy does a pretty good job of making the transition from pass catcher to run after the catch smoothly.

And when he has the ball in his hands, he has an aggressive mindset and runs the ball much like a running back.  He can certainly use his speed and quickness but he likes to run North and South and is not afraid to take or initiate contact.  He can make an opponent miss and will get behind his pads to maximize plays.

Hardy has the tools to be extremely effective after the catch and does a nice job of getting the yards he should.  At this point, he has not shown to be special in this area as far as his vision and being able to make game changing plays, but it may also be a case where he is overdue.

Blocking

Hardy is a good blocking receiver, both in terms of his technique and his effort level.  He will not make every block, but it is never for his lack of effort.  Hardy blocks with pride and has shown the ability to really help the running game.

For the most part, Hardy does a good job of getting his hands on the opponent and running his legs to give him power and being able to move opponents off of the ball.  There are times where he is unable to attack the proper shoulder but he does his best to keep the opponent out of the play and able to make the tackle.

• Hardy does a great job here, attacking the proper shoulder and washing the opponent down so that he has no chance of impacting the play.

Hardy will go for the big shot at times when the opportunity arises, which can be a risky proposition.  When he is right, Hardy can make a big time impact and knock the opponent out of the play as well as sending a message for future plays.  An impact crack block can leave a linebacker concerned about getting decked again for perhaps the rest of the game, giving his teammates an easier time when running the football.

• Hardy comes downhill and drops his shoulder for the crack block, which ends up taking out the defensive end as well.

Hardy should only get better as he is able to get stronger, which will enable him to be more consistent, but there is nothing to suggest that Hardy will not be able to come into the NFL and help a team’s running game immediately.  He approaches it with a mindset that NFL teams will appreciate.

Special Teams

Hardy has experience as a punt returner, though his senior season in that capacity was far and away his worst.  Nevertheless, his short area quickness, speed and willingness to play with power could make him an interesting option for teams that need someone to catch punts.

System Fit

Hardy is pretty scheme diverse.  He can operate in a quick, timing passing game running slants or quick outs and hitches, but he can attack deep down the field, run posts or run deep comebacks.  Hardy can operate effectively near the sideline but he is also a big threat as a slot receiver and can make plays after the catch.

He offers teams versatility in how many different ways he can be utilized and be effective.  Hardy could easily be utilized as a slot receiver or as an outside receiver, but some teams may look at him as someone they can move around the formation just like he has with East Carolina.

Draft Projection

Hardy has the tools to be a contributor immediately in the NFL as well as for a long time and could be a playmaker, but measurables and his competitioncould cause him to drop slightly.  As a result, he projects as a Top 100 Pick that could end up outproducing a number of players picked ahead of him.

The clips were provided by Draftbreakdown.com