Back in January of 1999, Harry Douglas Sr. and Jr., and Toney Douglas loaded up the car and drove to Miami.

The Jonesboro family were big Falcons fans and didn't want to miss the franchise's watershed moment, its only appearance in the Super Bowl.

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Former Louisville wide receiver Harry Douglas was a punt and kickoff returner early in his career at Louisville. He average 20.3 yards per return as a sophomore and played on the coverage units. He expects to make immediate impact with the Falcons.

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"The was the best memory that I have," said Douglas, a wide receiver from Louisville who was selected by his favorite team on Sunday.

After a stellar career at Louisville, Douglas was selected in the third round and will have a chance to compete for the slot-receiver position with the Falcons.

"It feels good," Douglas said. "I'm really proud to be an Atlanta Falcon."

The family had a cookout on Saturday and after he was selected they headed off to a party at the Hooters on Tara Boulevard. His younger brother Toney is the starting point guard for Florida State's basketball team.

Douglas was hoping to be selected by the Falcons, even though his former head coach had already left to take a job at Arkansas. His mother Stephanie had a premonition that the Falcons would be calling on draft day.

"My mom thought that a long time ago," Douglas said. "Whenever my mom has a feeling about things, it's good because she's never wrong."

Douglas didn't mention former Falcons head coach Bobby Petrino by name, but he was quick to point out who recruited him to Louisville.

"I actually committed to Jon L. Smith, he was there then," Douglas said. "They had a good law school and I was interested in law school. It felt like home away from home."

After starring for coach Tommy Webb at Jonesboro High, Douglas has some options. He was recruited by Florida, Georgia, Pittsburgh and South Florida.

Douglas also averaged 20.5 points a game in basketball, but wanted to play major college football.

With Petrino leaving Louisville to take over the Falcons last season, Douglas paid even closer attention to the Falcons. Paying particular attention to the receiving corps.

"I watched those guys last year," Douglas said. "I feel pretty good. I feel like we can have a great offense here in Atlanta."

Douglas plans to be a diligent playbook student.

"I'm a dedicated player to the game also," Douglas said. "I work hard. I love the game a lot and I like to study it a lot."

Douglas is hoping to step in and contribute immediately. He figures that he's well prepare to learn an NFL offense after mastering Petrino's intricate playbook.

"It's was a hard offense," Douglas said. "A lot of memorization. A lot of different things you have to do when you see different coverages. I think that will help me out a lot of the NFL."

Backup wide receivers have to play on special teams and Douglas has a special teams background.

Douglas was a punt and kickoff returner early in his career at Louisville. He average 20.3 yards per return as a sophomore and played on the coverage units.