Breaking down one of the riskiest draft moves by the Atlanta Falcons over the past 25 years:
Round/overall selection: First, sixth.
Did the risk pay off? The Falcons traded away five draft picks (first, second and fourth round in 2011; first and fourth round in 2012) to move up from the 27th overall pick to sixth to select Julio Jones out of Alabama in 2011. General manager Thomas Dimitroff was willing to roll the dice and it paid off as Jones has emerged as arguably the league's top receiver. Jones is a three-time Pro Bowl selection and was first-team All-Pro in 2015. He has had three seasons of 1,000-plus receiving yards, including the second-best single-season effort in NFL history this past season with 1,871 receiving yards (on 136 catches). Meanwhile, the five players the Browns eventually selected with the picks acquired in the trade -- Phil Taylor, Greg Little, Owen Marecic, Brandon Weeden and Trent Richardson -- have not made any type of true impact in the league.
Was there a safer move? There's an argument to be made that trading away so many picks hurt the Falcons' ability to establish depth at other positions, but Jones' dynamic ability should outweigh that. If the Falcons would have stayed put with the 27th overall selection, the wide receivers who would have been available included Titus Young, Torrey Smith, Little and Randall Cobb. Smith had a 1,000-yard season with Baltimore in 2013 and Cobb had one in 2014 with Green Bay. Young is out of the league and is facing potential jail time following a January assault charge. Little has bounced around the league and recently signed a one-year contract with Buffalo.
