Julio the Great, State of the Cleveland Browns

The NFL Combine is a great time of year for the avid football fan.  You’re able to get your first glance at the next Jim Browns and also the next Ryan Leafs of the NFL. 

Julio Jones
Courtesy of: NFL.com

        The player that impressed me the most was Julio Jones from the University of Alabama. The kid has a fractured foot and ran a 4.39 40-yard dash. Yes, he ran a sub 4.40 with a fractured foot! His broad jump was also very impressive, where he recorded an 11’3”, which was just two inches away from the Combine record.  The so-called “ best receiver” of this years draft, A.J Green from the University of Georgia, didn’t perform as well in the Combine, however. He only recorded a 4.48 in the 40-yard dash.  (Yes, I said “only.”) His broad jump wasn’t bad but, again, did not stack up to that of Jones, where Green propelled himself to a 10’6”. 

As a Cleveland Browns Fan, all winter I’ve heard how great A.J Green is, and how it’s a no-brainer who the best wide-out in this year’s draft is.  However, after watching the performance of Julio Jones, I’ve personally come to the conclusion that Jones would be the best pick for my beloved Cleveland Browns. The Browns currently hold the 6th pick in the draft, If I was Tom Heckert (the Browns GM) I’d try to trade down to the 10th pick, because the pool of game-changing wide-outs isn’t very deep in this year’s draft. The Washington Redskins currently own the tenth spot, but would like to move up to get in the Cam Newton/ Blaine Gabbert sweepstakes. At the 10th pick the Browns would probably still be able to get Jones, while hopefully also receiving another pick to use later in the draft.  

Meanwhile, the Browns other big need, Defensive Line, is the deepest it has been in many years. By trading down a couple spots the Browns would then hopefully be able to get another pick or two, which then they could use to help a team that hasn’t done much since they came back into the league in 1999. 

-Spencer Peck


Video after jump.

                                                            Video credit: Under Armour, YouTube