The college and professional football journeys of former Georgia wide receiver A.J. Green and former Alabama wide receiver Julio Jones likely will be forever intertwined.
Both are rangy, fast and athletic receivers who had fine careers in the SEC.
Now, they likely will be the top two receivers selected in this year’s NFL draft. They could even play in the same division, the AFC North, if Cincinnati takes Green with the fourth pick and Cleveland takes Jones with the sixth.
The two would seemingly be rivals, but their relationship is cordial, if not downright chummy. They trained together in Phoenix before the scouting combine. When it was discovered that Jones went through drills with a broken bone in his foot, Green expressed sympathy for his counterpart.
“We don’t get caught up in the hype,” Green said. “We’re just two guys trying to be the best. I think I’m the best. ... I’m not going to be mad if I’m not the top receiver drafted. It’s not going to mess with our friendship.”
Jones also hears the comparisons with Green.
“We’re both big playmakers,” Jones said. “A.J.’s a great guy.”
Most consider Green the No. 1 wide receiver in this draft class. However, Jones has his supporters.
“They are both really good football players,” said Gil Brandt, nfl.com senior draft analyst and a former longtime personnel executive with the Dallas Cowboys. “Green probably will be drafted first. I probably would take Jones, and the reason I say that is all you have to do is look at last year’s LSU-Alabama game.”
In a 24-21 LSU victory, Jones went with a vengeance at LSU’s Patrick Peterson, the top defensive back in the draft. He caught 10 passes for 89 yards and a touchdown.
“He’s also a very good blocker,” Brandt said. “If you’re going to run the ball in the league like teams want to run it ... you’re going to need a wide receiver on the perimeter that can block.”
Brandt compared Jones’ blocking ability to Pro Bowler Roddy White of the Falcons.
“I like to play the game with passion,” Jones said. “Ray Lewis, I like the way he plays. Hines Ward as well. I like the way he blocks and is committed on every play.”
Green believes that starting his career at Georgia with quarterback Matthew Stafford and wide receiver Mohamed Massaquoi helped his development. Stafford was the No. 1 pick in 2009, and Massaquoi was taken in the second round that year.
He credits Stafford with helping with his route running and Massaquoi with his focus and determination.
“I’m not going to settle for being an average receiver,” Green said. “I take that to heart, to be one of the best.”
Green considers Peterson, Colorado’s Jimmy Smith and Jalil Brown and Florida’s Janoris Jenkins to be the top cornerbacks that he has faced.
In the NFL, he wants to pattern his game after Arizona’s Larry Fitzgerald. “I want to be great like him,” Green said.
The only knock on Jones is that his hands are inconsistent. He has been known to drop the easy pass and then make a spectacular one-handed grab in a crowd.
Jones attributes the drops to playing fast. He plans to work on his hands and smooth out the rough edges of his game in the NFL.
“It’s about being very precise at the next level,” Jones said. “I need to work on my route-running, getting in and out of breaks [and] reading defenses as well.”
After Green and Jones, there are some talented receivers such as Maryland’s Torrey Smith, Boise State’s Titus Young and Pittsburgh’s Jonathan Baldwin.
Also, Troy’s Jerrel Jernigan has moved into the second tier of wide receivers, in part because Young and Baldwin have off-the-field issues. Miami’s Lee Hankerson’s stock has dropped dramatically during the predraft process.
“They’re all saying I’m a big-play threat,” said Smith, who visited with the Falcons last week. “I have to focus on polishing up as a receiver.”
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