Julio Jones named Falcons' next best Hall of Fame candidate

[ASFN Admin]

There was a time when Atlanta Falcons superstar Julio Jones was the best wide receiver on the planet, hands down. You could also make a case that at his best Jones played wide receiver better than any other player in the NFL played their respective positions. That includes peak Aaron Rodgers, Aaron Donald and J.J. Watt.

After giving up a Titanic load of draft capital to trade up, the Falcons took Julio at No. 6 overall in the famously-stacked 2011 NFL Draft. Over the next 10 years, Jones more than made up for the huge trade to get him and then some.

In 135 games for the Falcons Jones posted 848 catches, 12,896 yards and 60 touchdowns. Along the way he led the league in yards per game three times, made seven Pro Bowl teams, earned two first-team All-Pro honors and came as close to winning a Super Bowl as anyone who hasn't won a ring.

If that sounds like a Hall of Fame kind of resume' you're exactly right. According to Eric Edholm at NFL.com, Jones is the Falcons' next best candidate to wind up in Canton - even over former NFL MVP Matt Ryan.

"Matt Ryan, who’s now a member of the franchise’s front office, will be eligible first and will have a chance to get in one day. But if Eli Manning -- who has comparable numbers, plus two Super Bowl victories Ryan doesn’t have -- is having trouble getting into the Hall early in his window, then Ryan could as well. Jones, however, has a stronger case, even with a similar backlog of receivers. He might not get in during his first year of eligibility (2029) but might not have to wait too long. Jones is an all-decade player for the 2010s and boasts elite-level production (even with modest TD totals), and for whatever reason, receivers don’t seem to be hurt as much by the no-rings stigma as much as quarterbacks do."

Matt Ryan should definitely make the Hall over Eli Manning, but that's a story for another day.

Jones has a track record that's as impressive as any receiver who played in this era. At his peak from 2015-2018 Jones was the best wide receiver in football - and even Pittsburgh Steelers star Antonio Brown wasn't as close a second-place as most believe.

At the end of his career Jones spent one year with Tennessee, another with Tampa and finished with one in Philadelphia. It's a shame that he didn't end his run with the Falcons - and the fact that they haven't retired his No. 11 jersey speaks to a high level of unseriousness in the organization.

All-time Jerry Rice is in a class of his own as far as receivers go, but Jones absolutely belongs in the second tier along with Terrell Owens, Randy Moss, Calvin Johnson and anyone else in that conversation.

This article originally appeared on Falcons Wire: Former Atlanta Falcons superstar Julio Jones has case for Hall of Fame

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