The first blockbuster trade of the 2011 NFL Draft has happened: the Cleveland Browns traded sixth pick to the Atlanta Falcons so the Falcons could select Julio Jones.
2011 NFL Draft Trade: Falcons, Browns Swap Six Picks In Blockbuster
But the Falcons paid a premium to move up and grab the talented Alabama product.
Atlanta had the 27th pick in the 2011 NFL Draft first round; that’s now Cleveland’s. But the Browns also received 2011 second round and fourth round picks and 2012 first and fourth round picks to clear the way for Atlanta to snag Jones, and if that sounds like a lot to pay for the right to take one player, it probably is.
With the trade, Atlanta is mortgaging a fair share of depth in its near future for a player who must now be a blue-chip, lest this deal be a boondoggle. Jones should pair well with Roddy White at wide receiver, but he’s not going to be five players, not without some bending of the laws of matter.
Cleveland, on the other hand, is swapping a possible blue-chip player for all that depth. And with a young team being assembled around Colt McCoy, Peyton Hillis, and Joe Haden, that makes a ton of sense.
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