The Race for Number One: Julio Jones

Four players could easily make a case for the top prospect in the country. As it is Election Week around the country, each Scout.com staff member and their respective top prospect in the region, will make their case for why they should be number one. On Friday, a vote will be held for the fans to make their ultimate decision on who is the fan’s choice for number one. Today we feature the top WR.

When a prospect is compared to Jerry Rice, Calvin Johnson, and Chad Johnson, it is easy to throw the comparisons aside as every incoming college player has a comparison to some NFL superstar.

However, when it is coming from a college coach not even in competition for a player, you know there is some talent on hand.

Such is the case for Julio Jones, the nation's top wide receiver and number two overall prospect in the country. Everyone wants him, and why not? He is the complete package both on and off the field.

"He is very humble and you won’t hear him brag on himself," said Todd Watson, Jones' head coach at Foley High school on the coast of Alabama. He’s like that around everybody. He’s not a kid that sees himself as better than anybody else. He comes out and works hard every day in practice. He helps those around him to make them better, and that’s what a true leader does."

"I need to improve in all areas. I try to work hard every day to get better," admits Jones.

Julio Jones grew up wanting to be as much a team player as possible. It all started with his name as he began to use the nickname "Julio" when people could not pronounce his first name of Quintorris.

"So they started calling me Julio."

Now everybody who attends a Foley game calls the name Julio. Whether he is on the field or not, which does not occur very often, there is probably a Julio chant going on all the time.

"I don’t know how much more I can ask of him. He plays free safety, and he’s a great tackler on defense. He’d be one of the top safeties in the country if we played him on defense full time. He returns kicks for us. He’s on the punt block team. He returns punts. We tried to see if he could drive the bus to the game for us."

Jones finished his junior season with 75 receptions for 1,301 yards receiving and found the end zone 21 times. After such a breakout year, the attention is readily apparent not just in games his senior year but even at the Hoover National 7on7 passing tournament in which he could not find single coverage.

"Everybody knows you, and when we first started, I was double-teamed."

Even when physical contact is illegal, cornerbacks at the tournament in Hoover wanted to line up and try their hat at jamming the top wide receiver in the country.

More often than not they failed.

While Jones is widely known for his acrobatic catches, amazing feats of concentration, and superstar speed, it is his time in the weightroom that really creates a basework which creates the juggernaut.

"He is a very strong kid," said Coach Watson. Last spring he power cleaned 315-pounds at 6-4. That’s almost unheard of. He bench pressed 305-pounds as a tenth grader in the spring. His speed and explosiveness. He’s run 4.48. He won the state championship as a sophomore in the triple jump. He won the state championship long jump. He probably would have won the high jump but he scratched. He is an overall athlete.

It has been a little tougher this season for Jones as Foley is breaking in a new quarterback, and he sees triple teams most of the time. Still, Jones has 48 receptions for 906 yards and 13 touchdowns in addition to another 60 yards and a touchdown on the ground.

Earlier in the year, on a nationally televised game against rival Daphne, Jones showed another side of his game - grit.

With a sprained ankle, Jones came back in the second half of that game to catch three passes for first downs and made a final reception, while out-leaping two Daphne defenders, to score the game's winning touchdown.

To many, it is that type of effort that can push a player into the top spot in the country.

"His work ethic has been consistent all along. He is a very hard worker and comes to work everyday. I have obviously seen him grow and get taller. He has been a year with us in the weight room in the off-season and gotten stronger. He is starting to understand what people are trying to do to him. He can look out there and tell if people are trying to double him or roll coverages to him and work his routes off of that."

In other words, the prospect from this class whom many believe should make the most impact next year in college is still making huge strides in his game every week?

Scary good.

WR Julio Jones

Add to My Profile | More Videos