Once believed to be around 240, Jeffrey shedded a ton of weight and came in the combine at a slim and trim 215 pounds. He was one of the biggest winners of the combine in many people’s eyes.

At that time I wrote:

Alshon Jeffrey will show up in shape (225 lbs or below) and run a respectable 4.50 or better 40 time

And after the combine numbers came Mel Kiper wrote:

Jeffery weighed in at 216 pounds which surprised me. Thought he would be at 225-230. His Pro Day will be huge. 2nd rder right now

Seems to me that Alshon has a new dedication to the game, according to reports that have come from his Pro Day. Here is what went down:

Jeffery participated in the Gamecocks’ Pro Day on Wednesday, however, and may have helped his draft stock. Scouts on hand timed his forty-yard dash in the high-4.4 to low-4.5 range, according to Kevin Weidl of ESPN Scouts Inc. SI.com’s Tony Pauline had Jeffery at 4.55 on his first run. Jeffery also weighed in at 213, down three pounds from his Combine weigh-in.

Source: PFT

Good for Alshon. Hopefully he’s worked himself into the top 15 once again.

Now with that said, Mel is still considered a NFL Draft expert so his opinion does hold a lot of weight in some circles. On twitter a fan asked Mel about South Carolina WR Alshon Jeffrey and this is what Mel responded:

Jeffery weighed in at 216 pounds which surprised me. Thought he would be at 225-230. His Pro Day will be huge. 2nd rder right now

I’ve heard that Alshon was moving into the top 10, I’ve heard that he’s fallen out of round one. So many confusing reports with this guy. The fact that he came into the combine at 215 made things even more complicated. Is he going to stay in such great shape? What weight did he play at? How fast is this guy exactly?

So many questions with Jeffrey right now. Scouts are going to have to really do their homework on him because either you are getting a perennial Pro Bowler, or you are getting the next Mike Williams (USC).

Alshon Jeffrey will show up in shape (225 lbs or below) and run a respectable 4.50 or better 40 time

And here is the official weigh in:

USC WR Alshon Jeffery was a huge victor at the combine weigh-in coming in at 6’3″ 216. We said he could be the biggest loser or winner.

Credit: NFL Mocks (@NFLMocks)

What’s more interesting is the rumors that because of the incredible shape he’s in Alshon Jeffrey has actually leaped Justin Blackmon on some draft boards. I don’t have any super reliable sources for this, but I am reading and being told little tidbits that Blackmon may drop like a rock on draft day. Some scouts just don’t feel that Blackmon does anything great and could be a Mike Crabtree 2.0. Jeffrey has shown a dedication to the game, and we all know he can make the aerobatic catch look routine. It will be VERY interesting to see if Jeffrey starts to be reconsidered as the #1 receiver in the 2012 NFL Draft in the near future.

First and fore most, Alshon Jeffrey’s stock is going to slide because of his perceived weight issues. I have seen rumors that Jeffrey is teetering above 240 these days, and I have also seen those rumors strongly refuted and statements saying that Jeffrey is going to come into the combine at the best shape of his career. I expect him to come in the combine in shape around 225-230. There is no way Jeffrey is going to let himself get out of control weeks before the biggest athletic event of his life.

The only problem is that no one can really figure out how fast he is. He isn’t a burner by any stretch so the combine will be our first good look at his exact speed.

“Alshon Jeffery does not separate,” said Mayock after watching Gamecocks tape. “What those guys run [at the Combine] is important. He needs to run somewhere in those mid-4.5s.”

Source: Pro Football Talk

On to Vontaze Burfict. His stock has been falling ever since he was benched in Arizona State’s Las Vegas Bowl Game vs. Boise State. Any time a coach benches you for a game that is a red flag. Remember, even Jim Tressell played Terrelle Pryor in their last game together when he knew major NCAA violations had been broken by Pryor and other players.

So what is the word on Vontaze?

NFL Network’s Mike Mayock has watched Burfict’s games. And he isn’t impressed.

“I’m not a fan at all,” Mayock said of Burfict on Wednesday’s conference call with the media. “I just watched a bunch of his tape the other day. I came away unimpressed.”

Burfict has been criticized for off-field issues as well as his on-field self control, committing a high number of personal foul penalties. Mayock said he tried to filter out Burfict’s off- and on-field character when breaking down the player.

“His instincts aren’t good,” Mayock added. “He gets enveloped by bigger bodies and he runs around blocks. … For a big, strong guy, he’s nowhere near as strong at the point of attack as I thought he’d be.

“I don’t see first round at all.”

Source: Pro Football Talk

I’ve actually heard this from a few other people as well. I would not be surprised to see Zach Brown start to take Vontaze’s spot in a lot of these mocks. If a team like the Eagles are there in the second round and Vontaze is still on the board, they shouldn’t hesitate.

He has been dismissed from the team for violating his agreement to restrain from drinking alcohol. A failed test showed Garcia had consumed alcohol and marijuana in his system. This is a very sad story. In case you were wondering here is the timeline of Stephen Garcia’s troubled career:

• 2007 suspened twice
• 2008 suspended again
• 2011 suspened for breaking team rules
• 2011 suspended again for team rules
• 2011 dismissed from team

Conner Shaw will man the fort for South Carolina and hopefully he wont have a lot of pressue on him with Marcus Lattimore and Alshon Jeffrey to help him out.