Premier pass catchers are becoming more valuable than ever for NFL teams as the game continues to evolve around the pass.
Knowing this, NFL Network analyst and 11-year NFL receiver Nate Burleson selected his top 5 most valuable pass catchers in the NFL and the Falcons' Julio Jones came in at No. 3 on his list.
Jones joined Doug Baldwin (Seattle), Dez Bryant (Dallas), Rob Gronkowski (New England) and DeAndre Hopkins (Houston) on the list.
Here's what Burleson had to say about Jones as his third most valuable pass catcher in the NFL:
"This guy is not just good, he's great. For me, this pick is purely based on statistics, which I don't typically care about, but there aren't many players who can compare in productivity. Julio was targeted 203 times and had just six drops in 2015. He led the NFL in receiving yards and tied with Antonio Brown for first in receptions with 136. On top of that, he averaged 116.9 yards per game last season. Some teams don't need a star wide receiver to put up monster numbers to be successful. However, the Atlanta Falcons need every bit of Julio ... plus more."
