Monday, May 20th, 2013
As I said on The Sports Genius Show a couple of weeks back, I mentioned Alshon Jeffery as my #1 WR on the board. He has the size (6’4”, 213lbs.) and catching ability (both hands and leaping). The biggest question was how fast is he? Well the jury is out after his Pro Day today down at South Carolina after he ran a high 4.4 40 time. Now remember in that episode all I said he had to do was get in that high 4.4 area to stay at #1 or else Stephen Hill could overtake it. He did what he had to do speed wise and has elevated himself back into the 1st Round. The major question is now do the Browns select him at #22?
Well I can tell you one thing, he separation from corners at time by his film won’t make him at Top 15 pick, making it certain to me he’ll be there at 22. Now I think the next question is, why is he ranked #1 on my board for WRs? Upside, Upside and by the way more Upside. South Carolina isn’t a passing first team, especially this year with their star RB bursting onto the scene. He was very productive and stepped up in big games. The fact that he’s lost weight too is huge for me because now I can see he’s dedicated to doing what it takes to be great. I think an opportunity like Cleveland fits him perfectly. We don’t need the fastest guy, but we need a big target for Colt McCoy to hit. Should a faster WR be drafted later? Yeah probably. But I truly believe based on pure talent, Jeffery is the best this draft has to offer. He in my mind has the 2nd biggest upside next to Stephen Hill out of all the WRs.
Jeffery will be sitting there at 22, the question is will the Browns go after him if they pass on Blackmon and take either Richardson or Claiborne. If I were the Browns, I’d take a serious look into him meaning a private workout. Get to know him, see what he knows and if he can shine in the West Coast Offense. If he passes the test, draft him. But the Browns now have no excuse not to look more in depth into Jeffery. If they don’t, they’re fools, but then again what else is new?
