Ranking the 10 most important non-quarterbacks for Falcons, NFC South rivals

Wide receiver Julio Jones leads the Falcons' list of its 10 most important non-quarterbacks, almost a unanimous No. 1 for Sports Illustrated's NFL writers, who ranked the top 10 non-quarterbacks for each NFC South team.

Jones easily outpaced his teammates, getting 48 out of a possible 50 points. The only other player to receive a first-place vote was center Alex Mack, a 2016 free agent signee who was ranked No. 1 on the ballots of both writers who didn’t rank Jones there.

The rest of the top five for the Falcons was linebacker Vic Beasley, cornerback Desmond Trufant -- who was out with a pectoral injury after Week 9 last season -- running back Devonta Freeman and Mack.

As for the rest of the division, Sports Illustrated ranked linebacker Luke Kuechly first for the Carolina Panthers, defensive end Cameron Jordan first for the New Orleans Saints, and wide receiver Mike Evans at the top for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

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Jeff Haws

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