Julio Jones NFL Draft scouting report

by Dan Kadar on Jan 25, 2011 10:00 AM EST in 2011 NFL Draft

Julio Jones
6’4″, 220 pounds | Wide receiver | Alabama

Acceleration: Is a long strider and not a burst type receiver. Jones does have great speed, but it takes him 5-10 yards to build up to his full speed. Does not explode off the line or out of cuts, but has the speed to pressure a defense downfield.

Agility: Good agility. Jones is a natural athlete with good balance and body control. Does not show much quick burst, but has good overall agility.

Blocking: Surprisingly, Jones is one hell of a downfield blocker. In the Alabama offense, where running the ball was a priority, Jones had to become a good blocker. Uses his long frame to lock up defenders, but also runs off corners and sells play-action.

Hands: Jones can be too inconsistent here, which is one of the few attributes separating him from top wide receiver A.J. Green (Georgia). Lacks concentration. Some drops are caused by him tensing up before taking a hit from defenders. Will let the ball get into his body too often. Does make the occasional catch that blows your mind.

Release: Has a very good initial release off the line of scrimmage. Very good size and strength combination to fight off press coverage. Has big hands and long arms to swat away defenders who line up in zero coverage. Is not a quick-twitch athlete with a ton of burst, but he has exceptional speed and lateral mobility to avoid jams at the line of scrimmage. Gets off the line and in to his route fast. When given a cushion by the cornerback, Jones will exploit them every time.

Route running: Jones was very raw as a route runner, but has shown loads of improvement over the last year. Does a great job sinking his hips to make cuts and get in and out of breaks. Does not have the speed to plant and explode, but makes up for this with precise cuts and timing. Can get sloppy at times and will round off cuts. Will get too high at times in his breaks, making the route easy to diagnose by defenders. A very dangerous deep threat.

Size: Jones has ideal height, muscle tone and strength. He has long limbs and big hands. A lean frame, but surprisingly strong.

Speed: Jones does not possess sprinter speed. He is a long strider who takes time to get to full speed. He does have the speed required to run by defenders once he is given room to accelerate. Runs very well after the catch due to good agility and acceleration when he has the ball.

Final word: In any other year, Julio Jones would be the No. 1 receiver on our draft board. In 2011 he has to compete with A.J. Green in a fight he will not win. Jones should be lauded for his exceptional play at Alabama, and for his many talents as a receiver.

A fighter, Jones has played through injuries and will run routes across the middle with no fear. A dominating deep threat and downfield blocker, Jones will bring immediate value to any NFL team.

Jones projects as an early 1st Round pick, and could hear his named called anywhere from pick five to twenty in the first round.

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Comments

Well, if we're talking 1st round...

there’s only 2 WRs that are locks, in fact I have them both going in the top 10….Obviously Green will go first, and then Jones. I also like Torrey Smith & Jon Baldwin, but I think they’re more like 2nd round.

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by titansfan4ever on Jan 25, 2011 10:12 AM EST reply actions

If you world

Learned anything from Darius Heyward-Bey, Smith is a third rounder.

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by Bestjagfan on Jan 25, 2011 4:47 PM EST up reply actions

*the world

If hip hop is dead, then it happened the day that Dilla died.
-Akrobatik

by Bestjagfan on Jan 25, 2011 7:28 PM EST up reply actions

Any chance that Julio drops as far as # 13?

I like the Lions chances to trade down better if he is available when they pick. Personally, I would be okay with the Lions taking him at # 13 if there is no one else on their board who is close in value.

by NorthLeft12 on Jan 25, 2011 10:37 AM EST reply actions

in back-to -back community mock drafts we have done here, he went to the Rams at #14

I am thinking about putting him at #6 to the Browns. I concider him 99% of AJ Green, and if I was Carolina or Buffalo and could trade down, I would much rather have Julio + an extra 2nd round pick than just AJ Green.

Julio Jones was very under utilized player his first two years he was there. I think that Julio Jones has not even cracked the surface……..I respect that he went to a college team he knew would not be passing the ball all over the field, even though he could have went to any college in america. He learned to block (in the Bama run first mentality), and never seemed to complain that he wasn’t getting the ball.

I HATE 1st ROUND WRs, but I loved Fitzgerald, Calvin Johnson, and Julio as none seem to be the typical diva WR.

by durst on Jan 25, 2011 12:32 PM EST up reply actions

Keep an eye out though for when we're allowed to trade out of the pick

I’m firmly in the trade down market when it comes to out #14 pick next CMD.

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by dbcouver on Jan 26, 2011 12:04 AM EST up reply actions

I would be surprised if the Rams bypassed a chance at a real # 1 WR.

I will respect your opinion on this, but I would think that the Rams still need some impact players, which get harder to find after the middle of the first round. Jones, Ingram, the best DE or DT left on the board would all seem to be perfect for you at # 14.

Although you would likely still get Ingram if you dropped back up to six or eight spots.

by NorthLeft12 on Jan 26, 2011 7:52 AM EST up reply actions

That would surprise me. I am expecting both Green and Jones to be gone by # 7.

Carolina, Cinci, and Cleveland all look like either of these guys would be perfect for. We will see how they perform at the combine, Pro days, and in interviews. Well, at least the teams will.

by NorthLeft12 on Jan 26, 2011 7:44 AM EST up reply actions

He reminds me a lot of Brandon Marshall on the field

just hopefully not off of it.

by DBroncs1414 on Jan 25, 2011 1:53 PM EST reply actions

here is an interesting stat:

Julio burst on the scene as a freshman wideout in 2008, scoring a TD in 4 of his first five games…….then he only scored one TD his next SEVENTEEN games (missing one game due to inury).

Now that time period was from his 6th game as a true freshman through about 1/2 his soph year, but even in Alabama’s National Championship win over Texas he had only one catch.

You may think all of this is to demonstrate that he sux…..NO, actually to show how underutilized he was much of his career.

by durst on Jan 25, 2011 2:06 PM EST reply actions

yeah we are talking about an O that had mcelroy as QB (who before this year was nothing more then a game manager)

and then they also had a stable of RBs that included a Hiesman winner

by DBroncs1414 on Jan 25, 2011 2:29 PM EST up reply actions

His hands are my one worry and I think that could affect his draft status.

It wont be enough negative to take him out of the first cause of everything else but I could see him falling to mid 1st and probably not farther cause at that point is where we are really going to see the OT and not a lot of WR need.

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by TheAngelsColts on Jan 25, 2011 3:16 PM EST reply actions

Rounds off his cuts?

Hm, since you watch a lot of film then i cant disagree. however i think hes a great runner and makes very smooth sharp cuts. much better than aj green in that area

by Nfpdawg on Jan 25, 2011 9:35 PM EST reply actions

Cuts

Jones can get lazy on outs and double-moves. I would give Jones the upper-hand in terms of shorter routes like digs and quick slants.

by newerascouting on Jan 25, 2011 9:45 PM EST up reply actions

I didn't come to be a homer . . .

although I am a Tide fan. But a couple of positive things I can say about Julio that got left out.

(1) I think there’s a category missing from your rankings, and that’s running after the catch. Julio is very good at that. He’s not great only because he’s too predictable at trying to get to the outside and outrun the defenders and rarely cuts against the grain into an opening (which is coachable, by the way), but he has power running ability that can only be described as elite for a wideout, good top-end speed and runs with determination.

(2) Something you don’t mention, and I don’t know whether you incorporated it into your analysis or not, but Julio blossomed half-way through his last season, starting with the Tennessee game. Look at his stats from the Tennessee game on. They’re outstanding—lots of games with big numbers, and little hard-to-notice things like 10 catches going against Patrick Peterson—and it’s not a coincidence. Something clicked into place for him and he suddenly started going after balls in the air aggressively, like A.J. Green has always done, instead of waiting for them to come to him.

Jones was apparently not coached well at Alabama. Alabama has signed a slough of highly-rated receivers starting with 2008, but Jones and to a lesser extent Marquis Maze are the only ones who have turned into top receivers and it took both of those guys into their 3rd year as starters to blossom, as if they were mostly learning on their own from experience. To me, that gives him a glowing top end if he ever gets into the hands of a top WR coach.

I’ve got him Green’s equal as a receiver, and his clearly superior blocking makes him a better player overall. The only question mark is his injury history. If I was a team drafting high with a wideout need, I would get my docs to take a long, hard look at his medical history, and if they clear him I would take him ahead of Green.

by glen55 on Apr 26, 2011 5:13 PM EDT reply actions