The consensus top 2 receivers in the draft this year are A.J. Green of Georgia and Julio Jones of Alabama. From everything that I have read and watched on TV, A.J. Green is the unanimous best receiver in the class. I disagree.
Now I could try and make my point by focusing on the numbers from the "Underwear Olympics" (combine), and to set the record straight I do not believe that watching football players in tight shorts and shirts run around really tells you that much about how they will perform in full pads with 21 other players running around with them in the same confined area, but I will get to that later. I will use the combine numbers only because they strengthen my argument (might not be fair but I am doing it anyways). In all the important categories (40 yard dash is kind of important for WR's) Julio Jones outperformed A.J. Green. He was more than a second faster in the 40, had a better vertical leap by over 4 inches, and broad jumped by almost a foot more. The only area that A.J. Green won in was the measurements, he was just under 1 inch taller. These numbers tell me that Julio Jones is the better athlete and WR is a very athletic position. But like I said I am not going to use the combine numbers to try and make my point.
When I look at Jones and Green side by side the comparisons to current NFL WR's are instant. Jones reminds me of Terrell Owens while A.J. Green has more of a Randy Moss body. I believe Jones has more explosion off the line and will fight through jams at the line better than Green. Jones's body type also lends itself to being able to take more hits and should allow him the advantage of "getting small" and absorbing hits while going across the middle while Green's body gives off the impression of being more of a deep jump ball threat and while he may be able to go across the middle he leaves a bigger target for MLB's dropping into coverage and roaming safeties to unload on (even though I have watched Julio go up and get some balls during his college career). Overall I see Julio Jones as being more dynamic and A.J. Green being more 1-dimensional in the NFL. I could keep going on but I want to keep this at a decent length so people will read the whole thing before tuning out hopefully.
The most important criteria to evaluate when looking at draft prospects is without a doubt their college film. Unfortunately I do not have access to it and since I was not planning on starting a blog I do not have notes like I used to take during the football season, so this is going off what I remember and a few things that I have read. I remember both players being complete beasts in the SEC (which as a Razorback fan I follow closely), both players were "gamebreakers" capable of opening up a game with one play. Julio Jones stood out among all other players I watched the last couple of years and here is why:
1) He seemed to be used in more ways, I remember him being a powerful and agile runner on reverses and screens.
2) He always made the play when it mattered.
3) Most important he was a dynamic blocker for the run game. Everyone knows that Alabama has had one of the most powerful run games in the nation the last few years and Julio Jones was a major part in it. He was a strong blocker on the edge and you very rarely saw the guy he was blocking make the play. This tells me that he is ready to be an every down receive in the NFL, he will not be a liability in the running game. I would compare him to Hines Ward and Roy Williams (underrated as a blocker) when it comes to run blocking.
What stood out to me about A.J. Green's game which many will say is the most important is that he always seemed to catch the ball. I specifically remember watching him work the sidelines in a few games and he was snatching everything out of the air. It kind of reminded me of the way Chris Carter used to work the sidelines except Green has big hands and a long reach that allow him to get the ball everywhere. The other stuff that I have read about Green say that he has the "it" factor, a nose for the ball, good route running, etc. Those things are vital in the NFL and he will be a successful WR.
To wrap it up this is just my opinion based on what I remember and what I perceive. I wish I had access to film so that I could watch these 2 guys and really break it down properly. I could keep going on and on about this, but it has taken me a very long time to type with 1 hand, I hope everyone enjoys reading and commenting on my thoughts. Let me know what you guys think.
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