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Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones doesn't have much to prove in the NFL. He's basically demolished his competition. In the process, he's established himself as one of the best, if not the best, wide receiver in the league. And per Pro Football Focus, he graded out as the 2nd best wide receiver in the NFL last season.
Highest-graded NFL WRs in 2015:
— Pro Football Focus (@PFF) June 21, 2016
1. @AntonioBrown84, 96.5
2. @juliojones_11, 96.0
3. @TeamJeffery_, 94.2
4. @ajgreen_18, 92.1
Antonio Brown is undoubtedly a talented guy. Brown and Jones put up remarkably similar numbers last season. They had the same number of receptions (136) and roughly the same amount of receiving yards (Brown had 1,834 while Jones had 1,871.) Heck, even their yards/reception were similar. (Only 0.3 yards/reception separated the two.) Brown did have 10 touchdown receptions while Julio had only 8, for what that's worth. In short, if Brown was better, it wasn't by much.
Julio is in his prime right now but the Falcons must give him some reprieve before the countless targets take their toll. That may affect his overall grade in 2016, but if it keeps him healthy, then I'm all for it. Your thoughts?