Julio Jones has been one of the most impressive players at the combine so far this year, posting a 4.39 in the 40-yard dash. The initial reaction by some will inevitably be to bump him up draft boards and possible move him ahead of A.J. Green.
Personally, I don’t really care about his time.
He’s certainly better off having a run a 4.39 than a 4.59, but his stock shouldn’t change as a result. The 40 shows off a player’s straight-line speed, which Jones obvious has, but he lacks the explosiveness that makes A.J. Green such a dangerous player.
Jones is more of a physical receiver. He’s slow to get off the line of scrimmage and not very quick in making his moves but he more than makes up for that with his ability to use his size and strength to his advantage.
Whoever drafts Jones will be doing so for his ability as a physical, possession receiver (think Keyshawn Johnson). No one is going to see his 4.39 and suddenly confuse him with Randy Moss, because on film he just doesn’t show that ability.
Jones is still a legitimate top-15 pick, but his 40 time likely won’t convince any teams to bump him up any higher than he already is on their draft board.
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