Julio Jones Quintorris Lopez " Julio " Jones ( born February 3 , 1989 ) is an American football wide receiver for the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League ( NFL ) . He was drafted by the Falcons with the sixth overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft . He played college football for the University of Alabama . During his sophomore season with Alabama in 2009 , he helped lead the Tide to an undefeated 14 - 0 season including a victory in the 2010 BCS National Championship Game . Early years . Jones played his high school career at Foley High School in Foley , Alabama . He completed his senior football season in the fall of 2007 . Jones participated in the High School Under Armour All - America Game , where he was recorded at 6 ft 4 in and 218 lbs . During his high school career , Julio Jones ' dominating play and rare physical attributes quickly identified him as a special athlete . At the Baton Rouge Nike camp in May 2007 , Jones ran a 4 . 45 40 yard dash , an event - best 38 . 6 - inch vertical jump and was recorded at 6 ' 4 " , 215 pounds . He once ran a 4 . 38 , 40 yard dash when clocked at Foley High School . The buzz surrounding Jones began to swell to NFL proportions . " Sports Illustrated " likened him to wide receiver Terrell Owens , saying he was , " a big , physical wideout with great strength , amazing jumping ability and uncanny speed for such a big player . " ESPN . com compared to him to another NFL great , saying , " This guy is a unique , rare prospect for the wide receiver position with his supreme blend of size , power , speed and agility . He reminds us of a high school version of Michael Irvin , but at this stage Jones is more explosive and faster . " Entering February 2008 , Jones was one of the most highly rated and sought after high school football recruits in the country , having been awarded a 5 star rating ( the maximum ) by national recruiting outlets Rivals . com and Scout . com . Overall , Jones was nationally ranked as the # 2 overall prep prospect by ESPN and # 4 overall by Rivals . com , being the top - ranked receiver by both . He also drew comparisons to Arizona Cardinals receiver Larry Fitzgerald . Recruitment . Jones and fellow - receiver A . J . Green led a 2008 NCAA recruiting class that is dubbed as being the class that brings back the tall , physical receiver . Being one of the top prep players in the country , many college teams sought his signature on a National Letter of Intent . As the recruiting process started to wind down , he narrowed down his possibilities to five schools : Alabama , Florida , Florida State , Oklahoma , and Texas Tech . On February 6 , 2008 , Jones ended months of recruiting , committing to the Alabama Crimson Tide on National Signing Day , as he announced his decision live on ESPNU . College career . Freshman . Jones quickly became an impact player and fan favorite with the Crimson Tide . In the opening game of the 2008 season , Jones became the first true freshman receiver to start in a season opener for the Crimson Tide , as he started against the Clemson Tigers in the 2008 Chick - fil - A College Kickoff . In the game , Jones caught four passes for 28 yards and a touchdown in a 34 – 10 rout . In a 41 – 30 win over the # 3 ranked Georgia Bulldogs , Jones had a breakout performance as he caught five passes for 94 yards , including a 22 – yard touchdown reception from John Parker Wilson . His first 100 – yard receiving game occurred in the annual rivalry game versus Tennessee , as Jones had six receptions for 103 yards en route to a 29 – 9 victory . However , two weeks later versus # 16 LSU , Jones topped his previous performance with 7 catches for 128 yards . His 23 – yard reception in overtime set up a game - winning touchdown by John Parker Wilson , giving Alabama a 27 – 21 victory . In the 2008 SEC Championship Game , Jones caught five passes for 124 yards versus a talented Florida Gators secondary . In the first quarter , Jones caught a 64 – yard pass which set up the Crimson Tide ' s first score of the game . However , Alabama fell to # 2 Florida 31 – 20 , giving the Crimson Tide their first loss of the year . On December 8 , the Southeastern Conference announced the annual All - SEC first team , second team , and individual awards , as voted by the Associated Press . Jones was named to the second team All - SEC , SEC Freshman of the Year , and the SEC Coaches ' All - Freshman Team . Jones finished the regular season with 58 receptions , 924 yards , and four touchdowns . Sophomore . Preceding the 2009 football season , Julio Jones was voted to the All - SEC Coaches ' Football Team ( first team ) , one of only four players to be voted such unanimously ( along with Florida quarterback Tim Tebow , Tennessee safety Eric Berry and LSU offensive lineman Ciron Black ) . Jones and Alabama again opened their season at the Georgia Dome , this time facing Virginia Tech for the 2009 Chick - fil - A College Kickoff . However , the Crimson Tide ' s rushing game dominated the game , led by eventual Heisman Trophy winner and teammate , Mark Ingram . Jones finished the game with four receptions for 46 yards , with Alabama winning the game 34 – 24 . His first touchdown of the season would not come until the end of September , as the Tide routed the Arkansas Razorbacks 35 – 7 in Tuscaloosa . Jones caught a 50 – yard touchdown pass from quarterback Greg McElroy , coming from a trick play , to put Alabama up 14 – 0 midway through the first quarter . He would finish the game with two catches for 65 yards . After experiencing what some writers called a " sophomore slump " , Jones ' s production increased during the second half of the 2009 season . In a rivalry game against LSU , Jones had his first 100 – yard performance of the season . He finished with four catches for 102 yards , including a 73 – yard game winning touchdown in Alabama ' s 24 – 15 victory . Alabama continued through the regular season undefeated at 12 – 0 , working their way to a SEC Championship matchup with the Florida Gators . Jones made the first catch of the game , an 18 – yard catch from McElroy . The Crimson Tide won the game 32 – 13 , earning a chance to play for the BCS National Championship in the 2010 title game against the Texas Longhorns . His 23 yards receiving led the Tide in the title game , as the passing game struggled . However , the running game again took over , and led Alabama to a 37 – 21 victory . Junior . Heading into the 2010 season , Jones was voted a member of the Pre - Season All - SEC and Pre - Season Playboy All American teams . Jones kicked off his season with a 6 catch , 93 yard performance that including a touchdown catch from A . J . McCarron in the win over San Jose State The following week , Jones once again led the team in receiving with 49 yards on 4 catches in a 24 - 3 win over 18th ranked Penn State . Jones then had his first 100 yard performance of the season with a 5 catch , 106 yard , 1 TD game against Duke . Alabama kicked off the SEC season with a win over the 10th ranked Arkansas Razorbacks . In the game Jones had 5 catches for 55 yards and then only had 4 catches for 19 yards the following week in the Tide ' s blowout win over 7th ranked Florida . Jones , however , had the longest punt return of his career with a 41 yard return that set up a Mark Ingram TD run . Jones rebounded with an 8 catch , 118 yard , 1 TD game the following week in Alabama ' s first loss of the season , at South Carolina . The following week Jones only caught one pass for 8 yards in a blowout win over Ole Miss but then rebounded with the biggest game of his career against Tennessee . Jones set the single game Alabama record in receiving yards ( 221 ) in a single game on 12 catches ( 2nd in Alabama history in a single game ) . Jones had his second straight 10 catch game when he had 10 catches for 89 yards and a TD against 12th ranked LSU the next week in Alabama ' s 2nd loss . He also had a 31 yard Kickoff Return as well . Against Mississippi State Jones only had 3 catches for 41 yards but also had his first career rushing TD when he turned a reverse into a 56 yard TD run . Jones had his first 2 TD game of his career the next week against Georgia State along with 7 catches and 86 yards . The next week in Alabama ' s heart breaking Iron Bowl loss against 2nd ranked Auburn Jones had another huge performance with 10 catches , 199 yards , and a 68 yard TD . Jones added 65 yards in Kickoff Returns as well . The Junior closed out his Alabama career in the Capital One Bowl as Alabama blew out 7th ranked Michigan State . Jones had 3 catches for 49 yards and also had a 35 yard TD as well for his 2nd rushing TD of the year and his 9th total TD of the year . Jones ended his Junior campaign with an Alabama record 78 catches and 1 , 133 yards along with 7 TDs ( 4th in school history ) . He also had 8 rushes for 135 yards and 2 TDs along with 5 punt returns for 44 yards and 5 kickoff returns for 129 yards . Jones ended his Alabama career 2nd in career receptions ( 179 ) and yards ( 2 , 653 ) and 4th in TD catches ( 15 ) . He had 8 career 100 receiving games ( 2nd in school history ) . Jones was a unanimous 1st Team All - SEC selection in 2010 . Professional career . Pre - draft . On January 7 , 2011 , Jones decided to skip his senior season of college football , instead he chose to declare eligibility for the NFL Draft with teammates Mark Ingram , Greg McElroy , and Marcell Dareus . Jones was later invited to the " All - Star Football Challenge " , a skill contest shown by ESPN on February 4 . He excelled at the 2011 NFL Combine , posting the longest long jump and the third fastest 40 - yard dash among receivers , despite having a broken bone in his foot . Atlanta Falcons . The Atlanta Falcons selected Jones with the sixth overall pick of the 2011 NFL Draft . Atlanta had traded five draft picks to the Cleveland Browns to move up into their spot and take Jones , giving up their 27th , 59th , and 124th picks from the 2011 draft , and their first and fourth round picks from the 2012 draft . Jones wears number 11 , in tribute to the year he was drafted into the NFL . Jones came to terms with the Falcons on July 28 , 2011 , signing a four - year contract worth $ 16 . 2 million , all of which was guaranteed . In addition , Jones earns income from an endorsement deal he signed with Under Armour . Jones recorded his first NFL touchdown on Week 9 of the 2011 season , against the Indianapolis Colts . He finished the season leading all rookies in touchdown receptions with 8 , while his 54 receptions for 959 yards ranked him second among rookies in yardage and touchdowns , behind A . J . Green and third in catches behind Green and Greg Little . In 2012 , Julio had 79 receptions for 1 , 198 yards , caught 10 touchdowns , and was selected for the 2013 Pro Bowl – his first Pro Bowl nomination . Jones and fellow receiver Roddy White were the first 1 , 000 - yard receiving tandem the Falcons have had since 1998 . The team finished the season with a 13 - 3 record and earned the top seed in the NFC for the NFL playoffs . In the divisional playoff game versus the Seattle Seahawks , Jones recorded his first career interception on the last play of the game defending a Hail Mary pass attempt .