Who Is Better: Julio Jones or A.J. Green
Monday, March 28, 2011 at 9:52AM Joe Simmons 
Every year the question about who is the best comes up right before the NFL draft. When it comes to the wide receiver position there are only two names that come to the top. Before the combine workouts, everyone had AJ Green as the clear cut number one. One of the reasons is that Green comes from a passing offense that featured his skills and his skills alone. Julio Jones stepped his game up at the combine, basically outperforming Green in ever category. The only knock on Jones was supposed to be speed. Ironically he outran Green in the combine too.
When you watch these guys run routes, they are very similar. Jones is a more polished receiver in tight areas, where Green does appear to get better separation on the field. Jones is by far the better blocker as he had to be to allow guys like Mark Ingram to be dominant enough to win the Heisman.
The question remains, which will be the better pro. Make no mistake about it, both are worthy of being the first receiver taken. If you take a look at the board, the only team that may be looking for wide receiver help is early is the Cincinnati Bengals. The Bengals played with veteran wide receivers Chad Ochocinco and Terrell Owens this year as young guys like Quan Crosby, Andre Caldwell, and Jordan Shipley emerged as the heir apparent. Crosby is more of a special team’s guy but adds speed to the Bengals. Caldwell is dependable, and Shipley was arguably the best of the bunch last season.
Both Jones and Green are a great fit for the Bengals. They both bring a combination of size and speed to a team that appears to be in need of both. If they plan on keeping Ochocinco, and it doesn’t appear that they do, then Jones is the better fit. However if they let Ochocinco walk, then its hard to argue with drafting Green. If I am Marvin Lewis, I love this situation because I can trade down for more picks and still get one of them as only 2 or 3 wide receivers will be drafted in the first round.
The Bengals have another dilemma as they have to figure out who is going to throw to whoever they draft. It’s apparent that Carson Palmer may be done as well. So maybe the Bengals fool all of us and go with a quarterback. Stay tuned as this drama continues to unfold in Cincinnati.
Stay Breezy ~ I’m Out!
Reader Comments (5)
I am no draft expert by any means, in fact I’m just learning about it. Also, I’ve never seen either of these guys play on TV or in person. But based on highlights of both on youtube, Jones looks much better. He’s a tiny bit faster and looks like has more muscle mass than Green. For some odd reason, Green looks more injury prone.
After watching them both; I think that Green is the more complete WR. His hands are better than Jones and as a route runner I think Green is a better. With that said, Jones is no slouch. He is big and much more physical than Green. For a guy his size he is extremely quick and creates separation. Green is the better WR but IMO Jones is not far behind.
If you've spent these picks in recent drafts ....jerome simpson (2nd round '08), andre caldwell (3rd round '08), jordan shipley (3rd round '10) and added two great TE pass catchers in jermaine gresham (1st round '10) and chase coffman (3rd round '09)... and if you have your career leader (chad) still under contract... why in the world would you waste the #4 pick in the draft on a wide receiver? considering your team has abundant needs and finished 4-12 last year to get you that #4 pick, that's about the craziest idea i've ever heard!
BengaLover is right. They have a gazillion receivers already. Then again, it is the Bengals we're talking about. They'll probably take one anyway.
I don't know what exactly to think of Julio Jones. I remember him coming out of high school and he was rated as one of the best, if not overall best player, coming in. He was cool at Alabama, but he didn't really destroy the competition until last year. AJ Green is just a man; the dude can go get the ball, can out-run you, and is just amazing.
With Jones, I think it'll depend if he can get to a team that will take their time in letting him develop some more; either that, or slip to Indy or somewhere like that. I think Green will go first, and, when you look at what they've done, I'd lean towards saying he's better.
These two receivers are so similar it is scary, but in my opinion, Julio Jones is the better overall prospect that can make an immediate impact for any team, especially Cincinatti. Green is a top quality player and deserves a high 1st round draft pick, but Jones has so much upside. He is bigger, stronger, and even faster! He ran a 4.39 in the 40 and he did it with a stress fracture in his foot! WOW! Julio Jones played for a national championship team at BAMA and most CB's CANNOT cover him with his blend of size, strength, and speed. I feel the Browns would be a good fit for Jones or Green, but Cincinatti SHOULD NOT pass on either of them. They have made bad decisions when it comes to WR in the past, but these 2 guys are solid and should be no brainer picks.