Ravens Draft Tracker: Alshon Jeffery

by lastcallbmore on Feb 19, 2012 8:00 PM EST

Alshon Jeffery #1 Wide Receiver, South Carolina. 6'4" 233lbs

Jeffery is another player quickly falling down the draft board.Some are saying he is heavier and slower than stated in his draft bio. However with his size and speed as it is, I think the Ravens would jump all over him if he were available at the 29th pick.

Maybe the rumors are true, in that case I'm sure the Ravens brass are aware of the situation. However, if they are not, he would be a great fit in Baltimore. The Ravens have been looking for a big, physical receiver to pair with Anquan Boldin for years now. Most recently the James Hardy experiment was a bust but there have been many similar players that have not panned out for Baltimore over the years.

ESPN SEC Blogger Edward Aschoff was asked about Jeffery's stock falling in his weekly mail bag and here is what he had to say;

Patrick in Hillsboro, Ore., writes: In regards to Kiper predicts SEC-heavy NFL draft, Alshon Jeffery really not going in the first round? I find that hard to believe. Any insight? Thanks, Patrick

Edward Aschoff: No real insight because Kiper is a draft guru and I trust his word, but I think that Alshon's 2011 season might hurt him in the draft somewhat. Remember, after his sophomore year everyone was talking about how he might challenge Justin Blackmon in this year's draft as the top wide receiver. However, by Jeffery's standards, he had a pretty pedestrian year … and he was still sixth in the SEC in receiving. Still, Jeffery is a tremendous athlete and should impress teams with his workouts before the draft. He's tough for just about any defensive back one-on-one and has underrated speed. Jeffery might be listed outside of the first round now, but scouts know what he can do and I think he'll find his way into the first round come draft day.

Here is some more info on Jeffery from his Wiki page...

2009

Jeffery caught five passes for 61 yards in his first five games before making seven catches for 138 yards and three touchdowns against the University of Kentucky. The performance was the second-best single game performance in school history and Jeffery became the third Gamecock in 2009 to earn SEC Freshman of the Week, following defensive end Devin Taylor and running back Jarvis Giles He was a consensus first-team Freshman All-SEC and first-team Freshman All-American.

2010

In a Week 4 contest against Auburn, Jeffery had a break-out performance in a loss. He was only a few yards shy of 200 receiving yards and added 2 touchdowns for the Gamecocks. Another one of his best 2010 campaigns came against in-state rival Clemson where he had 5 catches for 141 yards and a touchdown. Through 14 games, Jeffery made 88 catches totaling 1,517 yards and 9 touchdowns including 8 games with 100 yards or more receiving, and a 108.4 yd/game average. Jeffery was named a Biletnikoff award finalist, the award given to the nation's top wide receiver. Because of his performances, helping lead the Gamecocks to their first SEC Championship Game appearance, Jeffery was selected as an All American.

2011

In the season opener against ECU in which he caught five passes for 92 yards, Jeffery extended his active streak to 24 consecutive games with a reception.

Poll

Who would you draft if all three players were available?

Alshon Jeffery WR South Carolina

84 votes

Mark Barron S Alabama

35 votes

Cordy Glenn G Georgia

76 votes

195 votes | Poll has closed

Tweet Comment 22 comments | 0 recs |

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Comments

As much as I would love a new receiver

It’s gotta be the guard. Joe has weapons, he needs protection.

by jhelfrich on Feb 19, 2012 8:04 PM EST reply actions

Needs receiver’s with hands too.

by Raven_all_day on Feb 20, 2012 1:27 AM EST via mobile up reply actions

separation has more to do with the maddening 3 and outs. i have my doubts about Jeffrey being able to separate. he didn’t really separate very well in the SEC so im not sure why people expect him to magically do it in the NFL

"And, don’t get me started on Joe Flacco," Simms continued. "Did the experts watch the game? Joe didn’t miss a throw, not one. I watched every play. Every time he had the opportunity, he hit the guy. And, he made some moves so he could complete other throws. Are these people watching? What was Joe supposed to do with Texans in his face? Throw it up and hope? Sometimes a sack is a good thing. The object is to win the game. You did."

by jackmca on Feb 20, 2012 9:33 AM EST via Android app up reply actions

If im not mistaken Jeffery had some weight issues that slowed him down. Jeffery just needs to work on his speed and it has been reported that he has lost some weight

by jazz20 on Feb 20, 2012 10:42 AM EST up reply actions

If the guy had weight issues that slowed him down during the season leading to the tape I’ve seen of him being blanketed routinely, then I don’t want him.

He made amazing catches while being covered, but in the NFL he won’t be targeted under those circumstances.

by jackmca on Feb 20, 2012 11:25 AM EST via Android app up reply actions

If the guy had weight issues that slowed him down during the season leading to the tape I’ve seen of him being blanketed routinely, then I don’t want him.

Well look at terrell Suggs he gained weight at one time in his career and it slowed him down but he eventually lost the weight. Jefferey Is a young guy and im not sure if the weight he gained was due to muscle or fat but either way its been reported that he has work hard to drop the weight to improve his speed.

I’m not saying the ravens should draft him and it may be a risk to draft him in the first round for any team but if he can work on his speed or able to be taught by good nfl wide receiver coach to help training him to be the best he can be, then he has ability to be a dangerous wideout in the future.

by jazz20 on Feb 21, 2012 10:59 AM EST up reply actions

size

a guy with size like that has to be considered where the Ravens pick in the first round. I think he would be a good pick, but i think the coaching staff will make the right decision.

by nyghtwatch on Feb 19, 2012 8:57 PM EST reply actions

Jeffery’s stock has been falling and there were reports about a month ago saying he was overweight and running in the 4.8’s and now there are reports saying he actually cut down to 217-220 which would really help his stock. If he truly is down in that 220 range and runs in the 4.5s he could be a great fit here if there. The combine will be huge for Jeffery and he needs to perform well arguably more than any other player. A bad combine could have him dropping into the 2nd when he was once thought as a top 10 pick and arguably the top WR in the draft.

On Ed Reed:
"I’ve told him to his face many times, ‘You’re the greatest safety ever to play the game,’"
"We all learn from each other, but we all learn most from him."
- Troy Polamalu

by AV23 on Feb 19, 2012 9:24 PM EST reply actions

Jefferey could fall to us just because of his attitude which is what ozzie banks on.

by Raven_all_day on Feb 19, 2012 9:28 PM EST reply actions

He doesn’t really have a bad attitude. He got ejected out of that bowl game, but that’s really the only incident he’s had. I don’t think that will hurt his stock. The thing hurting his stock is weight and worries about him not being able to separate .

On Ed Reed:
"I’ve told him to his face many times, ‘You’re the greatest safety ever to play the game,’"
"We all learn from each other, but we all learn most from him."
- Troy Polamalu

by AV23 on Feb 19, 2012 9:37 PM EST up reply actions

Meant the Gaither like attitude, work ethic type of deal.

by Raven_all_day on Feb 19, 2012 9:57 PM EST up reply actions

What attitude are you talking about?

"Picture Me Rollin"

by Mr MaLoR on Feb 19, 2012 10:02 PM EST up reply actions

lol. every catch this guy makes is PI on the defense. Yellow flags live around him

by baltimorebeatdown410 on Feb 19, 2012 10:02 PM EST reply actions

I don't understand...

We supposedly don’t want to keep Grubbs because we don’t want to keep pay two interior linemen a lot of money. So why would we then draft another interior linemen in the first round (like Grubbs) who we then might well not want to pay enough to keep around in a few years. For a first-rounder, I’d rather try to get someone at a more premium position who we would want to pay to keep around for life. We can more easily get interior linemen, like Yanda, in the lower rounds.

by Brian Adams on Feb 20, 2012 2:08 AM EST reply actions

So why would we then draft another interior linemen in the first round (like Grubbs) who we then might well not want to pay enough to keep around in a few years.

Trust me, that isn’t the thinking in the NFL. If we can get another OG in the 1st round and sign him to a 5 year rookie contract, that will secure us for the next 5 years most likely at that position. And if we weren’t losing Grubbs, than we were losing Yanda instead.

Nature of the business man.

"Picture Me Rollin"

by Mr MaLoR on Feb 20, 2012 9:17 AM EST up reply actions

Do we move Yanda to LG if we have to or keep him a RG? I never really knew which was the more important position of the two, like with LT and RT where LT is clearly the more important one (for right handed QB’s at least).

Ive always thought left side for pass blocking, right side for run blocking (which Yanda is a beast at).

"Picture Me Rollin"

by Mr MaLoR on Feb 20, 2012 9:51 AM EST reply actions

I don’t think it matters…The OC chooses a side and either tackle should be capable of winning their matchup

by Evan Skev on Feb 20, 2012 11:09 AM EST via mobile up reply actions

I think it definitely matters at the OT spots, you want your best Tackle on the left side. But with Guard, I am unsure of what side you want your best Guard at.

"Picture Me Rollin"

by Mr MaLoR on Feb 20, 2012 11:13 AM EST up reply actions

My guess would be that you put your best guard on the weaker side of the line based on the talent on either the right or left side OR you put the best guard on the side which the running back has the most success. So, if the RB is more proficient at running to the right, you go there, left side same thing. But the problem with moving guys around is you’ll probably start allowing the defense to dictate your line rotation and that would get messy.

"Don't throw it, don't throw it, don't throw it. I know y'all going to throw it, they going to throw it anyway. I wouldn't throw it. Don't do it." - Ed Reed

"53 Mighty Men of Baltimore"

by WestminsterRaven on Feb 20, 2012 11:22 AM EST up reply actions

I think you have it right

Most teams predominantly run right, so they put their best run OT and OG there. And you want your best pass blocking OG on the left side working in tandem with your blind side OT. At least that’s how I always understood it. Given that, Yanda would be a better fit on the right side.

"the croaking raven doth bellow for revenge."
Hamlet, William Shakespeare

by Fandemonium on Feb 21, 2012 8:42 AM EST up reply actions

I agree. Look at a guy like Larry Davis for the Cowboys in the 90’s. He is considered by some to be the best Guard to ever play, and he played on the right side his entire career.

"Picture Me Rollin"

by Mr MaLoR on Feb 21, 2012 9:50 AM EST up reply actions

This is really a guy to watch at the Combine. If his forty time is good, he won’t be there at 29. If not, he could fall. He had a shitty QB situation at South Carolina, but still put up decent numbers. Plus, HE CAN CATCH THE BALL.

by JoshuaStein on Feb 20, 2012 4:14 PM EST reply actions