Revisiting the Last Time the Falcons Went for it All on Draft Day and Traded up for Julio Jones

The Falcons are considering moving up from the No. 16 spot in the 2020 NFL Draft, but some Atlanta fans are a bit nervous about surrendering a great deal of draft capital.

But they must have forgotten when their team gave up the No. 26 pick, a second-rounder and two fourth rounders in the 2011 NFL Draft, as well as a first-round pick in 2012 to select Alabama wide receiver Julio Jones, who is still one of the best players in the league at age 31.

As part of the deal with the Falcons, the Browns traded up from the No. 26 selection to take bust defensive lineman Phil Taylor. They then drafted a bunch of flotsam with the second-round pick (wide receiver Greg Little and his eight career touchdowns) and two fourth-round picks (cornerback Jalil Brown, fullback Owen Marecic) they acquired. The 2012 first-rounder they picked up was used on 29-year-old quarterback Brandon Weeden, who went 5-15 as a starter and threw more interceptions than touchdowns.

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Jones, meanwhile, is still building one of the best careers ever for a wide receiver. He's made seven Pro Bowls and five All-Pro teams while leading the league in receiving yards twice. He also owns the record for most receiving yards per game in NFL history.

It's fairly obvious that the Falcons were the big winners here. Not only did the Browns fail to draft even one competent player with any of these picks, but they passed on a player in Jones who is one of the greatest receivers in NFL history.