Former Atlanta Falcons head coach, Mike Smith recently revealed what went into the Falcons choosing Julio Jones in the first round of the 2011 NFL Draft in an exclusive interview with Betway.
Jones was selected as the No. 6 overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft and was the second wide receiver taken. He went on to have what many believe was a Hall of Fame career before recently retiring.
Smith shared it was Jones’ full body of work that led Atlanta to choose him.
“When we watched him play at Alabama, we already had a good idea,” Smith said. “He was playing at the highest level in college and dominating in the SEC. It wasn’t just a one-off game or play, it was game after game after game. It didn’t matter if they were playing against the University of Florida, Tennessee or anyone else, he was a dominant football player. When we actually got to see him on a day-to-day basis and saw how athletic, strong and quick he was, we realized he was going to be impossible to cover in one-on-one situations.”
Jones became one of the biggest ambassadors of Alabama football during his time in the league as Nick Saban has credited him for being a key part of the era of dominance Alabama enjoyed for over a decade.
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Justin Smith is the Director of Recruiting & Managing Editor for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can follow him on Twitter, via @Jdsmith31Smith
