There is a no greater victim of the faltering South Carolina passing game than talented junior wide receiver Alshon Jeffery.
2012 NFL Draft: Alshon Jeffery a victim of the South Carolina offense
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Coming into the season, Jeffery was the unquestioned top wide receiver eligible for the 2012 NFL Draft. While his contemporaries Justin Blackmon of Oklahoma State and Michael Floyd of Notre Dame grab the attention, Jeffery has yet to top 100 yards receiving this season.
Now thanks to the Gamecocks’ passing offense, which is 97th nationally with only 186.25 yards per game, there are questions about Jeffery’s ability as a wide receiver.
Russ Lande of Sporting News wonders about Jeffery’s speed. Rob Rang of NFL Draft Scout has Jeffery behind Blackmon in his his rankings. Todd McShay of ESPN’s Scouts Inc has Jeffery rated 23rd overall, behind both Blackmon and Floyd.
Needless to say, Jeffery is no longer receiving the comparisons to Calvin Johnson of the Lions or Andre Johnson of the Texans.
What needs to be realized, though, is that Jeffery is still the player who had 1,517 receiving yards as a sophomore. It’s hardly the fault of Jeffery that he had three receptions for 17 yards against Tennessee Saturday. Tennessee’s secondary wasn’t shutting down Jeffery. It was the South Carolina passing offense. Due to poor pass protection and perhaps even bad play calling, Jeffery was targeted only four times on Saturday.
Because of that, even more draft analysts will unwisely begin to question Jeffery’s skills. Make no mistake, though, he’s still a top 10 next year.
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