WR Jeffery scoring threat in red zone
Pairing 6-foot-3 rookie Alshon Jeffery with 6-foot-4 veteran Brandon Marshall will give quarterback Jay Cutler a dangerous twin threat in the red zone.
Jeffery had 17 TD catches over his final two seasons at South Carolina.
“He can be an excellent pro in that area,” Bears G.M. Phil Emery said. “I’ve (scouted) few receivers that are as good in the red zone as this guy. There are few receivers that are as good along the boundary with a ball in flight in tight coverage, that come up with a ball as often as he does. It’s outstanding how soft his hands are.”
Jeffery got knocked in the media for an alleged bad attitude last season when the Gamecocks went run-heavy on offense, his receptions plummeted from 88 to 49 and his yards from 1,517 to 762. But he offered a valid explanation.
“Our coaches and all of us as a team, we just wanted the best situation to win the game,” Jeffery said. “We found that teams were going to double-, triple-team (me) and give us the run, so we were going to run the ball a lot more. We won (a school-record) 11 games, so it worked out for us.”
Emery did extensive work on Jeffery and was pleased with what he discovered.
“This is a very quiet young man, very centered,” Emery said. “(But) he is very confident underneath all that quietness. The more you watch of his tape, the more you see the competitiveness. This is not a lazy guy. When he gets the ball in his hands, he’s working to score. He doesn’t give up. I don’t see give-up in this guy in any area.”
Making the move:
Third-round pick Brandon Hardin will play strong safety, necessitating a position switch from cornerback, but the Bears believe his physical traits project well to the new spot.
“It’s concerning that we’re moving him into a projection area,” G.M. Phil Emery said. “(But it’s) not a concern because of his physical nature, his toughness. He will strike you. He’s not afraid of contact.
“Sometimes you worry a little bit about that with corners. They’re kind of skill/finesse guys. What kind of tackler they will be if you move them to safety? I have no worry about this guy. He will come down in the box and strike people.”
Difference of opinion:
At 6-feet-1½ and 244 pounds, fourth-round pick Evan Rodriguez doesn’t have the size or strength to mix it up with NFL defensive linemen, but he claims he’s a willing participant.
“I would consider myself a physical blocker,” he said. “I’m just a tough player. I don’t mind getting dirty. I’m going in with a mindset that you know you’ve got to be able to go out there and contribute. That’s the mindset of where I’m at.”
But Pro Football Weekly’s 2012 Draft Preview paints a different picture: “Not tough or physical — could stand to get stronger and become more of a finisher. Gets outmuscled in line. Is immature and does not know what it means to be a pro. Character and dependability need to be investigated.”
No doubt about it:
First-round pick Shea McClellin was described by some as a “tweener,” a player somewhere between a defensive end and a linebacker. He excelled at both positions at Boise State, but the Bears aren’t ambivalent about what he is in their defense.
“He’s not a linebacker, start with that,” coach Lovie Smith said. “He won’t be a linebacker. He’ll have his hand down in a three-point stance from Day One, and we can’t wait to get started with him. We think he can be an excellent pass rusher in the league.”