Back in 2011, Thomas Dimitroff made what was believed to be a career-defining move: trading away a slew of picks to move up for the 2nd drafted wide receiver in 2011. The move was full of risk. Julio Jones was considered by some as a possession receiver who could not play up to his elite timed speed.
Julio did not have the hands, route running skills, or production of University of Georgia's A.J. Green, but looked to have monster potential after blocking in Alabama's run-heavy offense.
Could he make a big enough impact to make up for all the picks? As it turns out, yeah, he totally did. The NFL's "Godfather" Gil Brandt said the trade "almost looks cheap." Brandt built the perfect wide receiver, grabbing things like Odell Beckham Jr.'s hands, Dez Bryant's strength, and Julio's big-play ability.
A big-play receiver makes significant contributions in tough situations, enabling his team to keep drives alive. You need to be an athlete, you need to be competitive, you need to have all the traits we cover here -- and you also need to know how to perform when it counts. I don't think anybody comes close to Jones' ability to make big plays; consider that 2015's receiving yards leader has posted a whopping 56 receptions of 20-plus yards over the past two seasons. In the end, the multiple draft picks Atlanta gave up for the right to select the ultra-athletic Jones almost looks cheap, given the Randy Moss-type impact he has on the field. Jones has put up an impressive 240 catches for 3,464 yards over the past two seasons despite everyone keying on him and double-teaming him.
Almost looks cheap? You never hear that after a team gives up two 1st round picks, one 2nd round pick, and two 4th round picks.
Brandt compares Julio's big-play ability to Randy Moss, and both careers have shown either player can take over a game or even a season. The Jones trade was easily worth the cost, as the Falcons got Jones under contract with the then-new rookie wage scale, and Jones became one of the top wide receivers in the league.