2012 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Alshon Jeffery, WR, South Carolina

February 16, 2012 @ 17:13:15

By Cory J. Bonini
Edited by Keith Hernandez

South Carolina wideout Alshon Jeffery is quite the interesting 2012 NFL Draft prospect. He has the potential to be one of the game's truly dominant targets in the NFL, but he comes with a scary amount of downside.

He racked up 88 catches for 1,517 yards and nine scores in 2010 and followed it up with a 49-762-8 line in 2011. Plenty of factors come into play to help explain Jeffery's major letdown last year, but some of the onus has to be on this physical freak of nature, too.

Which team will take the plunge?

Strengths

• Very strong hands
• Powerful build (6-foot-4, 229 pounds)
• Great red zone threat with tremendous leaping ability
• Long strider with deceptive speed in short area
• Tracks the ball well over both shoulders
• Excellent body control - makes a lot of acrobatic catches
• Extremely productive in 2010 (88 receptions, 1,517 yards and nine touchdowns)
• Willing blocker and uses his size to his advantage
• Hard to tackle in the open field - strong stiff arm and respectable elusiveness
• Insane potential as a pro

Weaknesses

• Major drop-off in production from 2010 to '11 (largely due to the team's quarterback and running back woes)
• May struggle to gain separation at the next level
• Lacks quick feet off the line and top-end speed
• Major bust factor
• Drops too many passes - needs to catch more with his hands and not his body so much; could be concentration lapses
• Ejected versus Nebraska for throwing a punch
• Ran simplistic routes in college and is very raw in this area
• Unrefined as a blocker - needs to learn better technique
• Questionable work ethic

Expected draft placement

Is Jeffrey Brandon Marshall or Mike X. Williams? It seems unlikely that he will be somewhere in between. His draft range is all over the place. Teams that may show interest in this enigma include the Carolina Panthers (No. 9), Chicago Bears (No. 19), Houston Texans (No. 26) and Washington Redskins (No. 39).

The Cleveland Browns, Buffalo Bills, New York Jets, Indianapolis Colts, Tennessee Titans, Denver Broncos, San Diego Chargers, Minnesota Vikings, New Orleans Saints, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers and St. Louis Rams all could be in the mix if the price is right.

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Cory J. Bonini

Cory J. Bonini is a senior editor at KFFL. In late 2002, Bonini joined the KFFL staff as a research analyst. He vaulted himself into one of the industry's leading fantasy analysts.

Bonini has been involved in fantasy sports since 1996. A member of the Fantasy Sports Trade Association as well as Fantasy Sports Writers Association, he has been featured in print, on the radio and is also a published writer on scores of sites. Bonini co-hosted Big Lead Sports on SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio from 2011 to 2012.

Bonini was recognized with the 2010 Best Article in Print Award from the FSWA and was a finalist for the same award in 2011. In '11, he finished first overall in the FSWA NFL experts challenge that featured 60 of the industry's best competitors.

Follow him on Twitter @CoryKFFL

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