It's going to take a while to figure out which former SEC receiver from the 2011 draft class is better: A.J. Green of the Cincinnati Bengals or Julio Jones of the Atlanta Falcons.
Green certainly started faster last year, but Jones is ready for a huge leap heading into his second season. Jones might get more help from his quarterback, Matt Ryan, and his teammates. But Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh believes we're not even looking at the debate in the right way.
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It's not about whether Green or Jones is the best second-year pro. Harbaugh called Green "maybe the best receiver in football" on Tuesday.
"Incredible athleticism," Harbaugh said of Green, via the Carroll County Times. "If you throw a ball anywhere near him ... he finds a way to go grab it. He's got an amazing catch radius. He's big, tall, long and can get behind a defense very quickly."
The Ravens actually held Green to 2 catches and 26 yards last year when they met the Bengals in the season finale. Green missed the first matchup between the squads last year with a knee injury. The two teams are set to meet again Monday.
Harbaugh's words are not just the usual case of a coach puffing up his upcoming opponent. (Okay, a little.) NFL Films' Greg Cosell ranked Green as one of the top-five receivers in football already.
He would already make our list of the five receivers we'd pay the most to watch. Our only slight concern: Can Andy Dalton maximize all that potential from Green?
Follow Gregg Rosenthal on Twitter @greggrosenthal.
