Earlier in the draft process, Peter King famously wrote that the Cincinnati Bengals held Alabama's Julio Jones higher than Georgia's A.J. Green on their draft board. If that were true last night, then the Bengals would be welcoming Jones into the fold rather than Green (otherwise known as the anti-Chad). While Green is widely believed to be the better athlete, Jones was the better blocker; which the team weighed heavily.
From then until now, Green obviously rose thanks to his athletic ability and his hands.
"If A.J. was gone, I wouldn’t have been surprised if we took Julio. I like Julio. He’s a big, strong receiver. I think the thing that sets A.J. apart up from Julio is just his natural ability to adjust to the ball and catch everything. Julio had some uncharacteristic drops; A.J. — never. He’s got great hands, and I think that sets him apart from Julio. Obviously Julio ran a faster time than him, he’s a big guy and he’ll do some great things in the NFL, also. We like them both."
What's even better is that Jones won't hurt the Bengals as was originally expected. The Cleveland Browns, holding the sixth overall selection, was favored to be selecting a wide receiver. Instead they swapped first round picks with the Atlanta Falcons. We call that, winning.