A.J. Green has usually finished well out of the St. Louis Rams' range across 2011 NFL Mock Draft season, but recently he's been running neck and neck with beloved mock draft possibility Julio Jones, which leaves me more confused than ever. Mike Sando takes a look at that confusion and gets down to business, selecting real experts to talk to him about Green's superiority re: Jones.
What it comes down to is superior route-running, superior "game speed", and an ostensibly tangible advantage in catching ability. Green seems like a finished product, while Jones has improvements still to make—which would explain his superior NFL Combine performances, and why those haven't pushed him permanently past Green.
A.J. Green remains unlikely to fall to the Rams, but if he falls just enough to go to a team with a chance at selecting Julio Jones he could still have a serious impact on the 2011 St. Louis Rams' season. If he's just unfinished enough to fall to the Washington Redskins at 10 I'd be especially happy, but there are a number of scenarios in which the Rams could still grab Jones.