Fantasy Football Stud: WR Julio Jones

Everyone that plays Fantasy Football is looking for the next unheralded super-star. We all have players like Drew Brees, Andre Johnson, Ray Rice and Calvin Johnson on our first round draft boards, but not everyone will have Falcons WR Julio Jones that high on their boards.

Well they should; WR Julio Jones is on the cusp of being the next Pro-Bowl NFL receiver. This is Jones' second year with QB Matt Ryan and Ryan has developed an unbelievable chemistry with Jones. In the pre-season thus far Jones has been unstoppable, in six quarters of three pre-season games Jones has recorded 13 catches for 240 yards and 1 TD. There is no reason to think his amazing pre-seaon performance won't transfer to the regular season. He is replacing Roddy White as the number one option on many of the Falcons pass plays.

Julio Jones was a five star recruit and the top rated receiver in the nation coming out of high school. He had a solid career for powerhouse Alabama and entered the 2011 NFL Draft a year early as a junior. Alabama under Nick Saban relies mainly on the running game and a stifling defense so Jones didn't put up huge numbers while in college.

But after an eye popping display of athletic ability at the 2011 NFL Scouting Combine the Atlanta Falcons fell in love with Jones. The Falcons made a blockbuster trade with the Browns giving up five picks to move up in the 2011 NFL Draft from 27th to 6th overall where they selected Alabama WR Julio Jones. I would venture to say the Falcons have a lot invested in Julio Jones.

His Combine performance in itself was pretty amazing. Remember he's not one of those small, speedy, little scatback receivers that run blazing fast, but aren't big or strong enough to hold up in the NFL.  Julio Jones is a big, strong, fearless receiver with with the strength, size and speed to embarrass almost any cornerback. At the 2011 NFL Scouting Combine Jones weighed in at 6' 3" 220 pounds and ran a 4.39 forty yard dash and his broad jump recording of 11' 3" was just two inches short of an all time combine best.

So Fantasy Football General Managers, when its time to conduct your Fantasy drafts, pass on Julio Jones at your peril, for he is a budding star and will almost certainly become one of the elite receivers in the NFL this season.

Who Will Pick First in the 2013 NFL Draft

Hello fellow Draftniks, we just updated out 2013 NFL Mock Draft. Probably the most difficult aspect of doing a 2013 NFL Mock Draft this early is trying to figure out which NFL team will be picking first. In other words, who will be the worst team in the NFL in 2012. That is where I need your help. Who do you think will be the worst team in the NFL in 2012?

Here is my take: It could be the Jacksonville Jaguars, QB Blane Gabbert struggled last year as a rookie, they signed Chad Henne from the Dolphins in the off season, but I don't know if he'll be any better.

It could easily be the Indianapolis Colts, they are clearly rebuilding and rookie QB Andrew Luck will likely struggle in his first year. If the Colts end up with the first pick though I highly doubt they will take another quarterback, so look for them to trade that to a team that needs a quarterback. I expect USC QB Matt Barkley and Virginia Tech QB Logan Thomas to be drafted one and two in the 2013 NFL Draft.

So which NFL team needs a quarterback and will want to trade up that high? The Seattle Seahawks, probably wont win a lot of games this year, so they might be in a position to trade up. The Kansas City Chiefs and Tennessee Titans might also be looking for a quarterback. Chiefs QB Matt Cassell has struggled, even though Scott Pioli loves Cassel, even he might realize it's time to move on.  Do you know the Chiefs haven't drafted a quarterback in the first round since 1983 when they drafted Todd Blackledge.

The Titans have QBs Jake Locker and Matt Hasselbeck, but Locker is still unproven and Hasselbeck is getting long in the tooth. The Arizona Cardinals are another team that could be in the mix. They will likely struggle this year, QB Kevin Kolb has struggled and John Skelton is unproven. Remember the Cardinals were one of the teams that were aggressively going after Peyton Manning before he signed with Denver Broncos. Speaking of the Broncos, even though I think they will have a winning season, they could be in the mix to trade up in the 2013 NFL Draft and go after a QB. After Peyton Manning, they only have Caleb Hanie; and Manning is an aging quarterback coming off two shoulder surgeries.

Fantasy Football Rookies

The Fantasy Football drafts are getting ready to start and every potential Fantasy GM will be looking for an edge over his opponents. Enter the NFL rookie, yes he is unproven and no you wouldn't use your top pick on one, but the rookie will be under the radar and could pay huge dividends down the road, especially if you play in a keeper league. Imagine if you played in a keeper league and you would have drafted Ray Rice or Drew Brees when they were rookies? So here are a few NFL rookies that I recommend you get on your Fantasy Football rosters:

1. RB Trent Richardson, Browns: Richardson is like a bigger version of Ray Rice. He'll get a lot of carries as the #3 overall choice in the 2012 NFL Draft and with his power and nose for the end zone, he'll score a lot of touchdowns.

2. QB Andrew Luck, Colts: Luck will probably struggle this year as the Colts rebuild, but given a little time for him to develop and the Colts to restock their talent pool, he should put up some huge numbers down the road. The Colts at #34 also drafted TE Coby Fleener, whom Luck played with at Stanford, so they should be on the same sheet of music from the beginning.

3. WR Ryan Broyles, Lions: I really like this kid. He would have been a first round draft pick in the 2012 NFL Draft, but he tore his ACL about mid-way through the 2011 college football season while playing for Oklahoma. Before his injury, Broyles finished his career with an NCAA record 349 receptions. Broyles is fully recovered from his injury now. He ran a 4.57-second 40-yard dash in April, about five months after his injury, and said he's "back to doing everything normal" in workouts. 

4. RB David Wilson, Giants: The G-men drafted Wilson with the last pick of round one in the 2012 NFL Draft so they will use him early and often. Running Back was a huge need for the Giants as they lost RB Brandon Jacobs to free agency and leading leading rusher Ahmad Bradshaw has had injury problems. Bradshaw missed four games last year.

5. RB LaMichael James, 49ers: The Niners have a lot of weapons now on offense with the addition of RB Brandon Jacobs, WR Mario Manningham, WR A.J. Jenkins and Randy Moss. James will be playing in a crowded backfield, with RB Frank Gore and RB Kendall Hunter in the mix, James might find it difficult to get the ball. But in saying that, I fully expect Coach Harbaugh to get the ball into his hands early and often. The Niners didn't draft him with their 61st overall pick to sit on the bench. James has the explosive speed and cutting ability of a Darren Sproles.

6. RB Robert Turbin, Seahawks: Leading rusher Marshawn Lynch just can't stay out of trouble, he will be suspended for a portion of the 2012 NFL Season. Enter 4th round pick from Utah State Robert Turbin. Reportedly he has looked very good in training camp and his only competition is Leon Washington who is getting a little long in the tooth. Turbin (5' 8" 222 lbs) is a squat, stocky, powerful back that knows how to get into the end zone.

RB Ronnie Hilman, Broncos: The Broncos traded up to #67 to draft Hilman in the 2012 NFL Draft. "He's explosive," head coach John Fox said of Hillman. "We like what we've seen so far. We targeted him and we think he will be able to help us." He's had a good camp and is listed behind Willis McGahee on the depth chart. Hilman has good hands and will be used on most passing downs, so he'll get you some Fantasy points for receptions as well as rushing yards and touchdowns.

Robert Bryant

bryant@nfldraftdog.com