Two thoughts on Thomas Dimitroff's admission that the Atlanta Falcons were in talks to move up as high as No. 2 in the 2011 NFL Draft: first, it's not necessarily true that the Falcons would've had to give up an even bigger load to the Denver Broncos than they did to the Cleveland Browns. The team could've made the same offer to every team in the top six, with Cleveland being the only one to bite.
Second, I wish Dimitroff wasn't essentially telling the world that Julio Jones was his second choice. Since almost everyone had A.J. Green going No. 4 to the Cincinnati Bengals, the only reason to trade ahead of Cincy would've been to pick Green, not Jones.
The WR situation in Atlanta is going to be delicate enough as it is, with Roddy White looking across the field and seeing a rookie who very well may end up signing for an even bigger contract than White's recent extension, if a rookie cap isn't installed soon. Jones also has the pressure of knowing that the Falcons bet two entire drafts on his success. He's been compared to Green since both were still in high school, always coming up just a step behind in the perception of everybody besides Alabama fans.
So, hey, maybe he can use this as motivation to exceed Green's NFL career. Or maybe he doesn't care at all. He probably shouldn't.
I could be wrong, as perhaps Dimitroff had learned from a reliable source that the Bengals were leaning towards Jones after all. Who knows. I love how open and honest this franchise can be, but I'd prefer it if the story in this particular case was that Jones was Atlanta's No. 1 target all along, whether he really was or not.
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