The first round of the 2011 NFL Draft was filled with surprises, ranging from Jake Locker going 8th overall to James Carpenter getting picked by the Seahawks at 25. While fans were shocked left and right, one move that stood out to me for its outrageousness was Atlanta’s decision to trade five draft picks for Julio Jones. I like Julio Jones, but I’m not sure I’d deal five picks for a receiver guaranteed to be a combination of Calvin Johnson and Reggie Wayne.
Atlanta gave up the 27th overall pick, their second and fourth-round pick this year, and their first and fourth-round picks in 2012 just to move up to the sixth spot. That’s two firsts, two seconds, and a fourth all for Julio Jones. That’s close to too much to surrender for a franchise quarterback. What can a second receiver do for you?
Julio Jones will give the Falcons a feared passing attack, but they already were dangerous in the air without him. Yes they’ll be improved and they’ll give opposing defenses a difficult time because of their double threat, but at what price? They’ll likely be missing out on getting four really good players in the next two years and possibly five depending on how well they can draft. Are you really telling me the Falcons can’t use those picks? Are you telling me those wouldn’t be valuable assets to upgrade weakspots in the future?
Worst of all, Roddy White is signed to a six-year $48 million deal through 2014. They’ll be paying $10 million per season to two players who play the same position. How will they be able to afford to sign players at other positions, particularly on the defensive side where they’ll need it? Like I said, even if you guaranteed me Julio Jones would become as good as Roddy White I wouldn’t make this trade. The Falcons are just sacrificing entirely too much for one player who doesn’t play a high-impact position.
