Watching Devonta Freeman sprint deep down the left sideline and corral a Matt Ryan pass behind the defense shouldn't have been much of a surprise to observers last week.

Freeman, the Atlanta Falcons' second-year running back, takes pride in every aspect of his game, including pass-catching. He showed flashes of sure hands last season, such as an impressive, 36-yard reception in a late-season win at New Orleans. On that particular play, Freeman motioned out wide right against Saints linebacker Curtis Lofton. He blew by Lofton on the go route and even adjusted to make the catch, much like a seasoned wide receiver would do.

So when Freeman made that grab during organized team activities last week, it looked routine.

"I feel like I don't want to come off the field," Freeman said."I want to do everything that they say running backs can't do. I want to be a complete back: the third-and-1s, the catching out the backfield. Whatever it takes to stay on the field, that's my mentality. I feel like running backs kind of get downgraded. But me, I want to bring it back to where we're able to do everything."

Freeman's ability to catch balls and run routes should bode well for his chances of staying ahead of rookie Tevin Coleman and explosive Antone Smith in the running back competition. New Falcons offensive Kyle Shanahan has had some capable pass-catching running backs in the past such as Steve Slaton in Houston and Roy Helu in Washington. But Shanahan has never had a great one.

Maybe Freeman is the guy.

"Devonta has a chance to really excel in both the run and pass game," Shanahan said.

Freeman had 30 catches for 225 yards and a touchdown as a rookie. Sometimes such numbers can be inflated when a quarterback throws check downs regularly for minimal gains. However, Freeman truly showed versatility in catching screen passes, deep balls and even quick slants.

So what's the secret to his hands? Freeman had to give some credit to former Florida State teammate Jameis Winston, the first-overall draft pick of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

"Jameis, being the guy that he is, he doesn't mind checking the ball down to you," said Freeman, who caught 22 passes for 278 yards and a touchdown during Florida State's national title season. "And I was the type of athlete that I didn't want to get out the game. So I had to make sure I had hands. We created that relationship, and he just trusted me. Jameis would check it down, hit me out in the flat or whatever it took to get a first down. Jameis helped me out a lot. So did Jacob Coker and E.J. Manuel. I've been around a few great quarterbacks."

Freeman politely declined to reveal all his pass-catching secrets, but he did offer a little more insight. He previously worked out with fellow Miami native and current Cleveland Browns receiver Dwayne Bowe. He often caught passes in the offseason from Canadian Football League quarterback Rakeem Cato, another Miami native who played college ball at Marshall.

Not to mention catching the football is something Freeman grew accustomed to even back to his Pop Warner days.

"I've always been in a pass-run balanced offense, so I've always kind of had to work on my hands," Freeman said. "It's kind of natural for me."

Balance is the key word for the Falcons going into the 2015 season. Strong running from Freeman, Coleman and Smith in Shanahan's outside-zone blocking scheme should help set up explosive passing plays to the likes of Julio Jones off play action. Having a pass-catching threat such as Freeman out of the backfield simply allows Shanahan to open up the play book a bit more.

Falcons coach Dan Quinn gushed over Freeman as a receiver from the outset. Quinn, formerly the defensive coordinator in Seattle, was asked about pass catching being a determining factor in the running back competition. The final four playoff teams from a year ago -- the Patriots, Colts, Packers and Quinn's Seahawks -- all boasted running backs with 37 or more receptions and three or more touchdown catches to their credit.

"It's such a huge factor for a running back who can catch coming out of the backfield," Quinn said. "For the guy who are suspect hands, well, that's not as big a threat when a guy like that goes into the game. So fortunately for us, with the guys we're going to feature, pass catching is going to be a big part, whether we bring him out of the backfield, aligning them empty, motion out to empty. All that is going to be a factor."