Alabama wideout Julio Jones entered the NFL scouting combine largely considered the number 2 WR prospect behind Georgia's A.J. Green who has been touted as the best receiving talent in the draft since Calvin Johnson or Larry Fitzgerald. However Jones significantly closed the gap between Green and himself after he churned in a show-stealing performance on Sunday.
Measuring 6'3" and 220 lbs Jones impressed scouts with a 38 1/2" vertical leap, an 11'3" standing broad jump and most importantly ran an eye-popping 4.39 in the 40-yd dash (compared to Green's 4.50 which simply met expectations). Obviously combine performances only go so far in predicting a player's true ability in the NFL but Jones' workout bodes well when combined with his prolific production at Alabama where he racked up 180 catches for over 2,600 yards in his 3 seasons with the team.
It is still unlikely that Jones would be drafted ahead of Green who is a sure fire top-10 pick but he did ensure that he will not fall below the middle of the first round with the receiver-starved Rams picking at number 14 (the Oakland Raiders don't have a pick in the first round this year but considering how much Al Davis adores players with great workout numbers you never know what might happen). This is the time of year when some high-profile players can see their draft status slip dramatically after their size, strength and character are scrutinized under a figural microscope by every NFL team. In 2005 Aaron Rodgers fell from being a possible top overall pick all the way to number 24 and in 2008 DeSean Jackson dropped from the top receiver projected in the middle of the first round all the way to the middle of the second behind 6 other WRs. How'd that workout again?
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