Prodigal 2011 NFL Mock Draft son Julio Jones has returned to the St. Louis Rams’ flock in the final hours of fake-draft season, falling to No. 14 in SB Nation’s final mock. After playing the contrarian before his NFL Combine breakout and often suggesting he’d go elsewhere, our NFL hub’s mock has lately been the last vestige of Jones hope in a world where the Rams are busy writing Corey Liuget’s name into their notebook, to see how it looks.
Jones would be the Rams’ most dynamic first-round pick since—well, since Sam Bradford, however implausible his selection is at this hour; it would engender a kind of offensive optimism not seen in St. Louis since Chris Berman was still giving the Rams goofy nicknames.
One thing is certain for mock drafters of all stripes: In the NFL Draft Thursday, Julio Jones won’t fall further than No. 14. He might not reach the Rams, but he’ll definitely not reach the Dolphins, who will have to console themselves by picking Mark Ingram or Mike Pouncey for the 500th mock draft in a row.