ATLANTA -- Falcons wide receiver Michael Jenkins could be the most affected by the drafting of wide receiver Julio Jones, who I've been told already is pegged to be the No. 2 wideout to Pro Bowl selection Roddy White. That's Jenkins' role, by the way.
I asked Jenkins before roughly 25 Falcons players went through an hour-long, seven-on-seven session Tuesday if he was bothered by Atlanta's decision to give up two first-round draft picks, a second-rounder and other selections for the right to draft a player that could move him down the pecking order. Jenkins, who never seems bothered, said he wasn't.
Ryan leads the way for Falcons
Steve Wyche writes that Falcons QB Matt Ryan is one of a number of frontmen from around the league organizing on-field workouts for teammates during the lockout. **More ...**
"You know it's a business," said Jenkins, who had 41 receptions for 505 yards and two touchdowns last season. "You knew at some point we were going to get another receiver with a high pick. It's been probably since Roddy (in 2005), so it's all about the business and you know how it is. It adds competition and makes everybody better."
To note, Jenkins was at the workout. Jones was not. Quarterback Matt Ryan said Jones has been at others, although he's still impaired by the foot surgery he had after ripping up the NFL Scouting Combine.
In a side note, with the addition of Jones, Atlanta's top wide receivers are huge. Jenkins is 6-foot-4, 217 pounds; White stands 6-0, 212; and Jones is 6-3, 220 -- and for good measure, let's throw in tight end Tony Gonzalez, who is 6-5, 243.
Other notes emanating from the Falcons' workout Tuesday at a local Atlanta high school practice field:
» With the Falcons' Ryan, Saints' Drew Brees and Buccaneers' Josh Freeman in the NFC South, I asked some Falcons defensive players what they thought about Carolina adding Cam Newton to the mix with the first overall pick. There weren't a lot of bouquets thrown Newton's way.
"Cam Newton is a very athletic quarterback, but it doesn't bode very well for him not being able to go through OTAs and these mini-camps," middle linebacker Curtis Lofton said. "It's going to be a lot, and they're going to have to cut the playbook down, so as a defensive guy, I kind of enjoy that."
"Everybody has to prove their worth in this league," safety Thomas DeCoud said. "It doesn't matter if you're the first overall pick or Mr. Irrelevant."
Added linebacker Mike Peterson: "I love it. I love it. He's still a rookie to me. No matter what you did in college, when he gets to Carolina, all those guys will tell him everything he did in college washes that away because it don't mean nothing in this league."
» Two Falcons free agents, linebacker Stephen Nicholas and Peterson, participated in the workout. So did rookie Akeem Dent, a third-round pick. None said they were worried about getting injured, despite not being under contract.
» Lofton attended the workout but is limited after having surgery on both knees this offseason. He declined to divulge the procedures.
Follow Steve Wyche on Twitter @wyche89.
