Best Atlanta Falcons all-time draft pick: Wide receivers

In the last 10 years alone, the Atlanta Falcons have managed to select some great wide receivers. Roddy White and Calvin Ridley are two obvious ones that come to mind, but there's no doubt Julio Jones is the greatest drafted wideout in Falcons history.

Jones just may be the greatest player in franchise history as well.

The right to draft Jones didn't come cheaply to the Falcons. Atlanta earned the No. 1 seed in the NFC with a 13-3 record in 2010, but the Falcons lost at home in the NFC Divisional round to the eventual Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers.

Therefore, the Falcons held the No. 26 overall selection in the 2011 NFL Draft and traded with Cleveland Browns to grab Jones at No. 6 overall. Atlanta coughed up its 2011 first-round pick, 2011 second-round choice, two 2011 fourth-round selections and a 2012 first-round pick to move up 20 spots and draft Jones.

While the trade hasn't resulted in a Super Bowl victory, it's hard to argue it didn't work out for the Falcons. With Jones as a young, emerging receiver, the Falcons possessed one of the most dynamic offenses in the league in 2011 and 2012. During the 2012 season, Atlanta again earned the No. 1 seed but fell in the NFC Championship Game to the San Francisco 49ers.

By 2015, Jones was in the discussion for the title, "greatest wide receiver in the league," and it's a discussion he's yet to leave. Since 2014, Jones has posted at least 83 catches and 1,390 receiving yards every season. During that span, he's led the NFL in receiving during a season twice, receptions once and yards per game three times.

With 99 catches and 1,394 yards in 2019, Jones made his seventh Pro Bowl. And while other superstar receivers of his era such as Antonio Brown and Dez Bryant let their success poison their ability to perform for their teams, Jones has remained a humbled superstar and team leader.

Through nine seasons, Jones has 797 receptions, 12,125 receiving yards and 57 touchdowns. He possesses the most receiving yards in franchise history and will surpass White for the most catches in a Falcons uniform this fall. Jones is also just seven touchdowns away from that team record.

There's no debating Jones as the greatest wide receiver, drafted or otherwise, in Falcons history. The only question is whether he's also the greatest player in team history or second only to quarterback Matt Ryan.