Well, I figured that Kris Durham would be on the Hawks' radar because he's a fast, long armed big bodied wide receiver target. i just didn't figure they'd look at him this early in the Draft. Be that as it may, the Hawks just picked up a reliable, speedy and "fearless slot guy that will extend his arms and work the middle," according to scout Wes Bunting. Bunting also notes its a reach but at this point it's really hard to say if that will end up being true or not. Also, for what it's worth, Mike Mayock is a fan of the Georgia wide receiver.
I profiled Durham as a possible sleeper candidate a few weeks ago but the fact of the matter is that the Hawks liked him a lot. He was overshadowed quite a bit while playing opposite of A.J. Green, but when Green was out with a suspension, Durham stepped up and was very productive for Georgia, reeling in 18 catches down a 4 game stretch.
Durham is surprisingly strong for a player his size - he benched 225 17 times at his pro day, which is extremely impressive for a long armed receiver. He's got sinewy strength, good hands, is fearless over the middle. At this point it seems like the Hawks may have taken him a little early but we really have no way of knowing that until we see the on-field product. According to reports, he was a rising prospect that had also garnered interest from other teams like the New York Giants, Jacksonville Jaguars, Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Detroit Lions, Chicago Bears, and San Francisco 49ers so perhaps they loved him enough to take him before he was scooped up by someone else.
I trust John Schneider and Pete Carroll have a plan, but one things for sure - they are not taking a traditional route for it and sure have a devil may care attitude to what we may think! They seem to have a very specific profile set for each player that they want and they're running with this strategy.