Alabama fans have known about Julio Jones’ potential for quite some time. Jones spent 2008-2010 catching passes all over the SEC for the Crimson Tide. His junior season he had 78 receptions for 1,133 and seven touchdowns.
According to Rivals, Jones was a five-star recruit coming out of Foley, Alabama. He was considered the top receiver in the country and a top-five player nationally. In addition to Alabama, Jones received offers from a plethora of schools including Florida, Florida State, Oklahoma and Texas Tech.
The Atlanta Falcons saw that potential and gave up a king’s ransom to move up in the 2011 NFL Draft to select Jones. The Falcons traded a total of five draft picks to the Browns to move up to the sixth pick to select Jones.
Jones has not disappointed the Falcons. He has 497 receptions for 7,610 yards and 40 touchdowns over his six seasons in Atlanta. He’s had four seasons with over 1,000 receiving yards offering quarterback Matt Ryan a big red zone target to throw to.
At 6’3″, 220 pounds, Jones large catch radius is almost impossible for cornerbacks to defend. Jones is 27 years old and has plenty of juice left in the tank.
According to Spotrac, Jones is on the second year of a 5 year deal worth $71,256,045. Jones’ base salary for the 2015-16 season is $9,500.
Falcons fans can thank Jones’ mother, Queen Marvin, for the player they see on Sundays. Jones spoke with the Albany Herald about his mother’s influence on his game.
“That’s straight from my mom,” Jones said. “It’s just being as humble as I am. But it’s just me. It’s not like I’m putting on airs or doing this or doing that. This is really me. This is what I do. … I don’t care for the stats, but there were some greats before me and there are going to be greats after me. Just having your named mentioned in the same sentence as those guys, it’s a blessing in itself,” Jones told the Albany Herald.
Here’s some of his best highlights during his time at Alabama: