Scouting Report: Julio Jones

We have an older scouting report written on Julio Jones, but it was before the season and wasn’t so much  a scouting report, but rather a quick break down.

WR Specific Traits

Route Running

Julio Jones is an improved route runner from when he first got to Alabama to the point where he can now be considered a plus route runner. Alabama runs a lot of routes on the route tree and Jones will be familiar with the entire route tree entering the N.F.L, which will make for less of an adjustment at the next level.  Jones also does a very nice job at finding the soft spot in zone coverage, so his route awarness and defensive recognition is also very good.  Jones is not an excellent route runner yet even though he has improved tremendously, he still can work at this at the N.F.L. level.

Catching

Jones does a good job of catching the ball in traffic because he can sheild well from the defenders and keeps the defenders hands off the ball, but Jones has inconsistent hands. You hear the words “lack of concentration” show up with Julio Jones a lot in regards to his catching ability, but I think that term is a bit off, generally speaking I don’t like the term. Randy Moss has a lack of concentration and will take himself out of games at times because he’s not concentrating on he small things in the game. Julio Jones has a “lack of patience” to catch the ball cleanly all the time because he’s looking upfield or tries to start running without the ball before it gets in his hands.

Running with the Ball

Jones is fantastic once the ball his in his hands and is not only able to break tackles, but also has great vision with the ball in his hands and has a surprising second gear. He’s not a straight line speedster, but he’s very game fast and gets from point A to point B well. He has had success running reverses at Alabama.

Seperation/Release

Jones gets off the line cleanly because he’s bigger and stronger than almost all cornerbacks and also gets into his routes fast. He is able to create seperation down the field due to his deceptive speed and because cornerbacks can’t give him a big cushion to catch the ball because he’s dangerous with the ball in his hands.  He also uses his hands well to get clearly out of his breaks.  Jones does well in this area.

Blocking

Jones is one of the best blocking WR in this class as he’s both a willing blocker and has the funamental strength to block defenders in the run game. Blocking is all about having a want-to and Jones has that and should be a plus blocker in the N.F.L.

Other N.F.L. Traits

Speed/athleticism:

Jones is not a speed demon, and wouldn’t beat many of the WR and CB in a track meet, but Jones is very game fast and can get to wherever he wants to on the football field. He’s also a very fluid athlete and has tremendous athleticism. I started writing this scouting report before Julio Jones did his 40, which he just killed so perhaps his straight line speed is as fast as he looks at game speed, which is fast.

Production:

2010: 78 catches for 1133 yards, 7 Touchdowns, 8 rushes for 135 yards and 2 touchdowns. 5 punt returns for 44 yards, 5 kick returns for a 129 yards

Big Games:

vs Arkansas 5 catches for 55 yards

South Carolina 8 catches for 118 yards 1 touchdown

@ LSU 10 catches for 89 yards no touchdowns

Mississippi State 3 catches for 41 yards, 1 rush 56 yard and a touchdown

Vs Auburn 10 catches for 199 yards 1 TD

Michigan State in Bowl game 3 catches for 49 yards, 2 rush 36 yards and a touchdown

Final Word

Julio Jones as been one of our top prospects all year and has continued to show why. Jones doesn’t have great hands, but he is above average to very good in all other apsects. He’s a terror with the ball in his hands, he has great size, good straight line speed and is productive vs good teams (although he isn’t as productive vs bad teams that can often be attributed to Alabama blowing teams out and not needing to throw).

Player Comparision:

A Bigger More athletic Anquan Boldin or Hakeem Nicks. Both players are terrific with teh ball in their hands where they play more like running backs than Wide receivers, both guys are physical, tough blockers, and can go over the middle and get deep despite their straight line speed. Both payers have had a knack for getting in the end-zone. On the flip side because of their physical play both players have had a history of getting knicked up and missing some games throughout the season, but still manage to be super productive (Nicks was top 5 in yards per game, catches per game, total touchdowns, big plays over 20 yards this year), and Boldin has been very productive in their career.

With the success of two players who play like this, but are less talented than Jones it’s scary to think what Jones could become in the league.

Intangibles (From CBSdraft scout.com)

"Intangibles: Proved his toughness by playing through various injuries over his career, including a broken hand in 2010. Highly decorated prep athlete rated the No. 1 overall prospect in the country by some scouting organizations. Involved with several local community service projects including the Santa America Foundation and local Optimist International club."