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2011 NFL Mock Draft: Julio Jones, Aldon Smith Figure In Latest

Add Don Banks of Sports Illustrated to the ever-lengthening list of sportswriters' whose 2011 NFL Mock Draft doesn't let Julio Jones slip past the Washington Redskins at 10. The Redskins need wide receivers nearly as badly as the St. Louis Rams, and "Let us have him so we can see what Sam Bradford does with a real receiver" isn't going to be as persuasive an argument, I think, as I'd like it to be. With that in mind Banks likes Aldon Smith, with the caveat that he'll have to supplement his indifferent NFL Combine performance with a superior pro day at Missouri. 

The Cincinnati Bengals might prove to be the difference between Julio Jones and a defensive lineman for the Rams come draft day; their reaction to Carson Palmer's announcement that he'd never play for them again could manifest itself as choosing a quarterback, as it did in a recent SB Nation mock draft, or it could end in them taking A.J. Green, with Blaine Gabbert and Cam Newton each off the board. 

As a Mizzou alum there's something to be said for Aldon Smith, but I'm wary of his ability to be a deep threat in Josh McDaniels's system, at least right away...