I knew Julio Jones would be a special player once he came to the NFL. During his days at Alabama, they used him in many different ways. Outside on the perimeter and they would also use him on jet sweeps on some running plays. He broke into the NFL in 2011 and since then, he’s been one of the best all-around players in the NFL. The Atlanta Falcons built their offense around him. The last few weeks, he’s been saying he’s wanted to be traded. I think we all remember the infamous phone call between him and Shannon Sharpe on “Undisputed”. He said he was done with the Falcons. Today, he’s been traded! The Atlanta Falcons have traded the all-pro wide receiver to the Tennessee Titans. Tennessee will send a 2022 second-round draft pick and a 2023 fourth-round pick to Atlanta. The Falcons will also send a 2023 sixth-round pick to the Titans along with Julio.
His presence makes an enormous difference. When healthy, he’s a top-five receiver. Some would even say he’s a top-three when he’s really in his zone. Julio is a phenomenal route runner with size, explosiveness, and speed. What I’ve admired about him is how he does the little things with such consistency. Julio is 6’3, a little over 220 pounds, and moves so fluidly along with the body control to keep himself in bounds. He has it all. The catch radius is first. He’ll be covered with double or triple teams, yet he still finds a way to come down with the football. I’ve seen him play wide, in the slot, stretch the field vertically, and also catch screen passes. Julio is a focused player. He does his best to put his team in the best position to score six points. As a defense, if you don’t circle in on him, he will do damage. This is the one guy you must always know where he is at all times. He’s the ultimate nightmare for any defense. Jamming him at the line of scrimmage off his release doesn’t work because he’s strong enough to handle the physicality. Zone also doesn’t work because he can find the soft spots and do his work. No matter what defense you try playing against him, he still makes plays nonetheless.
Talk about making a splash. The Titans needed a playmaker after losing both Corey Davis and Jonnu Smith in the off-season. It was just A.J. Brown as the primary target. Now, you add one of the best receivers of his generation along with a young star in A.J. and the best running back in the league in Derrick Henry. This makes the Titans the favorites once again to win the AFC South. However, I can’t name them as a threat to the Kansas City Chiefs in the conference because they still didn’t do much to upgrade their pass rush, and come playoff time, you must be able to get to the quarterback.
