STRENGTHS
Julius is a unique athlete. He has the size and wing span of a Jabiru. At 6’3” 202 Lbs his wing span is larger than most Offensive Tackles measure at the Senior Bowl who are larger in height and weight. In spite of his size, Julius is a quick-twitch athlete. He also is an excellent and physical tackler which means he can play more than one position in a team’s defensive backfield. He is smart and adept at playing as a cornerback in zone coverages and a lot of off coverages because of his ability to recognize and support the run quicker than most other defensive backs. Julius has the change of direction skills to play press coverage, especially in the red zone, and shut down any size receiver. The first time I saw Julius on film, I said to myself, Holy Crap who is that kid?
CONCERNS
Julius lacks the one thing that most teams will downgrade him for and that is a lack of makeup speed once he gets beat. That is the same reason teams downgraded Richard Sherman. Some teams like Julius more as a safety and we all know the value most teams put on that position and this will also affect his overall draft status.
BOTTOM LINE: 1.94
Safety or Cornerback, what’s the difference? If Julius can play multiple positions in your defensive backfield because of his athletic talent and high football IQ what the hell is the difference? What the hell are teams so afraid of when it comes to selecting players with this type of talent? Why do they look at the negatives as the deciding factors in selecting players more than the positives? I don’t have the answer and I’ve been involved with the draft since 1979 when I was shocked that Joe Montana wasn’t selected until the third round! Julius has first-round talent because of his size, athleticism, high football IQ, production, and his ability to play more than one position at a high level. So, after intensive consideration this year, Julius is my “Holy Crap”, player of this draft. I suggest you look at Rob’s board to figure out where he could be selected but I stand by my “Holy Crap” 1st round talent reaction no matter what round a team selects him in.
