Recently I looked at Justin Blackmon against Stanford. As I mentioned there the Redskins may not be able to acquire one of the free agent wide receivers and may have to look to the draft to get a guy. So I thought I would move onto South Carolina's Alshon Jeffery. The footage I got to study was against Nebraska and cornerback Alfonzo Dennard, a player of similar talent level.
Jeffery caught four passes for 148 yards and a touchdown before being ejected in the third quarter for fighting with Dennard. It was very much a tale of two games for Jeffery. When Nebraska played off-man coverage against him, he made plays; but when Nebraska put Dennard in press coverage, Jeffery struggled to cope with the physicality.
I've circled Jeffery at the top of the screen. Notice the defender is playing off-man coverage (where the corner is in man coverage, but has a cushion of seven or so yards between himself and the receiver).
Jeffery simply runs past the defender and the safety help without either laying a hand on him. The quarterback over-throws the pass, but Jeffery was open.
Later in the game, we have a similar situation.
This time Jeffery is at the bottom of the picture, but again the defender gives him a cushion and Jeffery runs past him pretty much untouched.
Having been allowed to get into position, Jeffery shows off his leaping ability. He out jumps everyone else (including other receivers) and catches the ball. He then manages to land securely with the ball and dive into the end zone for his touchdown.
On the odd occasion when Nebraska had Dennard up in press coverage on Jeffery and Dennard didn't get an early jam on him, Jeffery could get past.
Right off the snap, Dennard fails to initiate contact with Jeffery.
Dennard is only able to get a hand on Jeffery after he's gotten into his stride. Jeffery manages to shrug off Dennards attempts to slow him down.
Jeffery makes the catch at around the 50 yard line and takes it another 45 yards before Dennard is able to bring him down.
But Jeffery's problem arises once Dennard was able to get a jam on him. Jeffery failed to disengage quick enough and Dennard had won the play.
Right off the snap Dennard gets a hand on Jeffery.
Nearly ten yards later, Jeffery still hasn't managed to disengage with Dennard. For a receiver that is 6'4", 229lbs, you would think he should be able to out muscle a defender. But he remains jammed and the quarterback is forced to look elsewhere.
This didn't happen on just one occasion either.
In almost the exact same fashion, Dennard gets his hands on Jeffery off the snap.
Again he struggles to disengage and ends up practically throwing Dennard to the ground to break the coverage. But Dennard did what he needed to in order to get the quarterback to look for another receiver.
South Carolina then tried to move Jeffery to the slot, but Dennard followed him.
There again is the initial jam from Dennard.
Jeffery actually manages to break the jam early but fails to get away from Dennard.
He allows Dennard to get back on him and stop him from cutting inside.
Once again Jeffery fails to disengage and the route is lost.
This failure to deal with physical coverage has hurt Jeffery's draft stock, some people saying he's dropped into the second round. Jeffery is certainly one of the players who could use with a good combine to help boost his stock back up. Which round would you draft Jeffery? Would you take him if he fell to the Redskins in the second round?
1 recs | 23 comments
Great look at Jeffery against some very quality corners at Nebraska
Parks Smith - February 22, 2012
Don't you mean 1 quality corner?
The rest sucked.
Omaha Sun - February 22, 2012
love it, questions
This is just me trying to process things:
-how can I compare/contrast Blackmon and this guy? I don’t remember you asssesing press evasion of Blackmon or hands catching of this guy?
-Can Dennard get away with the Pat Fischer style play at the NFL level or does that only work in college? How will his game translate?
FWIW: I have to imagine that NFL teams will target Jeffrey and have someone capable of playing physical D (like we used to with Shawn Springs).
TCO - February 22, 2012
I couldn’t asses Blackmon’s ability against press coverage because Stanford didn’t really use it against him and that was the only footage of him I could get. To be able to compare and contrast these two, I’d need to see a lot more footage of them both.
Dennard got away with a fair amount of that. In the NFL, that kind of physicality is only allowed inside the initial 5 yards from scrimmage, after that you cant do it. I didn’t like that Dennard struggled whenever he couldn’t jam Jeffery. Jeffery isn’t exactly the fastest guy, and if Dennard can’t turn and run with him, then he could be a liability in the NFL. That being said, there aren’t many college corners that can be that physical at the line of scrimmage as Dennard was. So he certainly holds some value.
UkRedskin - February 22, 2012
6'4 and can't beat press coverage
Thas like being 7’0 and not being able to dunk
BmoreRedskin - February 22, 2012 via mobile
+1
And I might have my wr’s mixed up, but isn’t he the one who has “let himself go” since the bowl game and put on a couple extra dozen lbs?
tony420 - February 22, 2012
Allegedly
he had gotten up to 250 pounds and ran a 40 time of 4.8 or something like that. But that was only rumors and reports, nothing official.
UkRedskin - February 22, 2012
That's been refuted.
Still needs a sub 4.6 40 to land in the 1st RD though..
Diesel44 - February 22, 2012
He's a great
#2, would fit in perfect for the saints. Good job UK, I think we should pass unless he falls to the 3rd.
Redskin44 - February 22, 2012
I think he’s falling to the second round. If he’s there at 39, I’d gamble on him.
Brutus89 - February 22, 2012
No thank you.
Side note: UKRedskins you going to analyze Dwayne Allen? I’d really like to see that.
2up2down - February 22, 2012
If I can get footage of him
I probably will. Got Coby Fleener coming up in the next few days.
UkRedskin - February 22, 2012
Draft first, FA as depth
UkRedskin #1 Thanks for your incredibly informative and insightful posts, they are really amazing… but don’t you think it’s time we stopped this FA first nonsense? The philosophy should be draft first and use FA to fill holes when they arise or provide depth, not look for starters. I realise this is absolutely counter intuitive to the last 2 decades of management, but we’ve just had the first real draft in 20 years. It went well. Hey, where are you at in the UK? When I moved to Bristol from Maryland in 1992 the Skins were in their last Super Bowl year. There was this pub in Clifton called the Quadrant I went to occasionally (if every night can be called occasionally) and the landlord gave me the keys to the pub and told me to drink all the beer I wanted as long as I locked up, so I could watch the Skins in the SB on satellite.
NickNix - February 22, 2012
I'm about 45 minutes from Bristol
In a town near Bath (if you know where Bath is).
UkRedskin - February 22, 2012
I cycle there about once a month
When the Redskins get back to the Super Bowl, we’ll have to organise a SB party.
NickNix - February 23, 2012
Looking at recent mockdrafts
there is some consensus gathering to have redskins going with Morris Claiborne at #6, that is if we do not move up for QB or trade down.
Can you do one of your exemplerary tale of the tape articles for Claiborne?
AussieHog - February 22, 2012
I absolutely intend to.
Claiborne film is on my to do list.
UkRedskin - February 22, 2012
No Thanks
In reviewing Jeffreys I never seen much of a break-away or YAC, which was surprising for a big man. Skins need playmakers and YAC only. Would nab Sanu, Randle, etc.
dbtimsah - February 22, 2012 via iPhone app
I don't know what tape you have been watching
but it wasn’t his. when most of his yards came after his catches, the old ball coach loved lining him up in the slot and quick pass to him or a wr screen and just let him run. what Jeffrey brings to the skins would be a jump ball receiver something we have been lacking for years.. Now where he is slipping is that fact that his numbers slipped this past year but that wasn’t at all his fault between the qb drama down there.
Ryan Schaffer - February 23, 2012
Anyone else like the fact Dennard could muscle him?
some mocks have Dennard slipping to the third round…nothing wrong with the Huskers
terpsez11 - February 22, 2012
doing this against 19, 20, and 21 year olds is one thing
Doing this against low-teir NFL caliber CB’s is another.
Elaw6 - February 22, 2012
- Who are the best prospect WRs this year at beating press coverage. Blackmon comes to mind.
- Not beating press in college doesn’t seem like a deal breaker to me. I’d think NFL coaches would be able to correct this pretty quickly given his size and strength.
Kevin Ewoldt - February 23, 2012
does one bad game mean he can't beat press?
if that were the case then we would have to say that none of the packers wr’s can beat press coverage since that’s how the chiefs beat them. He has in the past fought off cb’s that were pressing or even draped all over him to get the jump ball.(the bamma and Fla game come to mind) Not to mention he practiced with Gillmore every day who is a solid cb and press coverage person himself. also lets not forget that during that game Dennard did come up to press him and Jeffery ran right by him for a 70 yrd catch,
Ryan Schaffer - February 23, 2012
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