NFL Draft 2012: Profiling Former South Carolina WR Alshon Jeffery

Trent Richardson and Morris Claiborne will likely be the first two SEC players off the board in the upcoming NFL Draft, but perhaps the most debated SEC player in the draft is former South Carolina wide receiver Alshon Jeffery.

Jeffery proved former Tennessee head coach Lane Kiffin wrong—he's not "pumping gas for a living."  But his time at South Carolina was filled with ups and downs, which leaves NFL scouts searching for answers.

The talent is there. Jeffery had a stellar sophomore campaign in 2010 when he hauled in 88 passes for 1,517 yards and nine touchdowns. Keep in mind, Stephen Garcia was his starting quarterback in 2010.

Concerns were raised about Jeffery's dedication in the summer of 2011 after images surfaced where Jeffery appeared to be a bit on the heavy side. Jeffery didn't do himself any favors by posting a sub-par season last year, where he only caught 49 passes for 762 yards—roughly half of the output he enjoyed from the previous season.  

Questions about his weight lingered up until the NFL Scouting Combine, when Jeffery measured in at a svelte 6'3", 216 pounds—not anywhere close to the 249 pounds he was rumored to have ballooned up to prior to the Combine.  

Now that the weight rumors have come and gone, Jeffery is poised to make a big impact in the NFL. He has the size and the hands to be wildly successful, but the dedication question will remain until Jeffery proves his new bosses otherwise. 

Jeffery will go in the late-first or early-second round, and he will make one NFL general manager look very smart in the process.