FLOWERY BRANCH — After posing for pictures with Falcons owner Arthur Blank on Friday, Julio Jones gave up a “Hail the Queen!”
Not, the Queen of England. But, his mother, Queen Marvin of Foley, Ala.
The possibility of making things more comfortable for her played into his decision to leave Alabama after his junior season.
“I was physically and mentally prepared to come out, and I wanted to be able to take care of my mom,” said Jones, who was selected by the Falcons with the sixth overall pick of the NFL draft. “She harped on being able to finish up my degree before coming out. I promised her that I would put the effort into getting my degree.”
He was a consumer-affairs major and is about two semesters away from graduating.
Jones also plans to make good on a promise he made to his mother when he was just 5 years old. As a youngster, he remembers badgering the Queen (her given name) to let him play football. She didn’t give in until he was 12.
“He was always the best,” said Marvin via phone Saturday. “He never gave me any problems. Oh man, I’m telling you. He was the best kid.”
She recalled Jones pushing her to let him play football.
“I’ll tell you, he was out there playing one day, and he said ‘Mom, one day, when I get old enough, I’m going to play pro football, and I’m going to buy you a car and a new house,” Marvin said. “I said, ‘OK, I appreciate that.’”
Although the league’s labor situation might delay Jones from making good on that promise, he’s in a pretty good financial position. The sixth pick in the draft last season — Oklahoma State’s Russell Okung — signed a six-year contract worth $48.5 million with the Seattle Seahawks. Even if a rookie wage scale is agreed to in labor negotiations, Jones likely will have enough for a car and house.
“I didn’t want him to play because I thought he was going to get hurt,” Marvin said. “He was so small then. Then when he gained a little weight, I said go ahead.”
Marvin was protective of Jones, the younger of her two sons.
“Let me tell you about the place, it’s kind of wild,” Jones said of the Aaronville neighborhood in Foley. “It’s not a big city or nothing like that. But the place that I grew up in, it’s a small town, but there was crime and drugs.”
Marvin watched him like a hawk before moving to a better side of town.
“My mom kept me out of all of that,” Jones said. “I just stayed active. I had to gain her trust. When I was young, I had to be in the house before the street lights came on.”
He would go on to star at Foley High as a freshman running back. He was moved to split end as a sophomore and his career took off.
“I just told him to stay humble and stay focused,” said Marvin, who made Jones a regular in Easter plays at church. “I said, ‘you’ll make it. You have to remember to keep God first, and you’ll go all the way. He’s doing it like he said he was going to do.”
Marvin said she made sure he stayed on top of his academic work. “He had to have that school work done before he went out of that door,” she said.
As a senior at Foley, he was named the No. 1 receiver in the nation by recruiting services rivals.com and scout.com.
After his high school career, he committed to Alabama over Oklahoma, Florida, Florida State and Texas Tech.
He had an instant impact at Alabama and helped the Crimson Tide roll to the BCS national championship as a sophomore. He had another strong season as a junior before deciding to enter the draft.
He believes that playing for Nick Saban, a former NFL head coach with the Miami Dolphins (2005-06), helped him get ready for pro football.
The Falcons, in dire need of playmakers, made a move they described as “bold and aggressive” to move up 21 spots to select Jones. They traded away five picks to the Cleveland Browns and received one in return. They used that valuable pick to choose Jones.
“I was very shocked, because I really didn’t have that much contact with them,” Jones said. “We just talked briefly. We weren’t talking on the phone. I was very shocked and taken by surprise.”
Falcons offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey, who coached on Saban’s staff in Miami in 2006, received a glowing report from his old boss.
“I think the more they got to know him, the more they fell in love with him,” Saban said. “In terms of the kind of person he is, the kind of character he has and the kind of competitive character and toughness that he plays with.”
The Falcons were impressed with his blocking, pass catching and his toughness. He played through injuries at Alabama. Also, he participated in the NFL scouting combine with a fractured foot and ran the 40-yard dash in 4.34 seconds.
“We are very, very fortunate to have an opportunity to have Julio as a part of this organization for hopefully a long, long time,” Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff said.
Jones said he doesn’t feel any extra pressure because the Falcons paid such a hefty price to acquire him. “Not at all,” Jones said. “I’m just going to give it 100 percent.”
Thanks to the Falcons’ pick, Marvin looks forward to making the four-hour drive to Atlanta to see Jones play.
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