Van Jefferson

[Barry McCockinner]

I don't pay much attention to college football or the draft forum so forgive me if this guy is already a common topic. This is the first I've seen or heard of him and I'm wondering what people are thinking. He seems like an elite route runner.

Where do people expect him to go?

 

edit: found this tidbit

WR Van Jefferson, Florida

Does that last name sound familiar? Van Jefferson is the son of Jets wide receivers coach Shawn Jefferson. So, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Douglas take a gamble on the family connection and hope the duo clicks at the highest level.

 

[jetstream23]

@Paradis

[Lith]

1 hour ago, Barry McCockinner said:

I don't pay much attention to college football or the draft forum so forgive me if this guy is already a common topic. This is the first I've seen or heard of him and I'm wondering what people are thinking. He seems like an elite route runner.

Where do people expect him to go?

 

edit: found this tidbit

WR Van Jefferson, Florida

Does that last name sound familiar? Van Jefferson is the son of Jets wide receivers coach Shawn Jefferson. So, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Douglas take a gamble on the family connection and hope the duo clicks at the highest level.

 

Love Jefferson.  Probably a day 2 pick.   He has been disucssed in the WR thread.  He is a great route runner, good hands.  May not have the athleticism of some other WRs who will go ahead of him, but he is so technically sound (as you would expect from a coaches' kid) that he should be a really solid pro.  Would love to see us come away with him in R3, as one of two day 2 WRs.  There are a bunch of really good WRs that should be ont he board day 2.  Jerfferson, Mims, Pittman, Hill, probably others as well.  

[sec101row23]

He seems really thin to me, I couldn’t find what he weighed in at in Mobile.   Depending on what he runs at the combine and pro-day, he’s probably another 4th-5th round type kid.  
 

@JiF could shed light on what kind of hands he has since he’s viewed him over a much larger sample size than just the Sr. Bowl.  

[JustInFudge]

This is the reason I did this write up, jeez guys. 

 

 

[JustInFudge]

49 minutes ago, sec101row23 said:

He seems really thin to me, I couldn’t find what he weighed in at in Mobile.   Depending on what he runs at the combine and pro-day, he’s probably another 4th-5th round type kid.  
 

@JiF could shed light on what kind of hands he has since he’s viewed him over a much larger sample size than just the Sr. Bowl.  

He's excels in all the necessary stuff; great out of his break, elite route running, great at setting up the defenders and incredible hands.  I dont recall a drop from the kid in college.  He fights for everything.  And while he is a very thin guy, he uses his body well to shield defenders and battle for positioning.  If he was the athlete of some of these other dudes, he'd be a first round pick.  His game is highly polished.  You can tell he's the son of former pro turned coach.  4th/5th round sounds right and he could be a steal. 

[Paradis]

23 hours ago, jetstream23 said:

@Paradis

Thank you. 

A gator WR? Where do I sign up?

it’s funny I watched a lot of gator games, and it seems that despite playing at a higher level than Cleveland and other gator receivers, Jefferson was never propped up as far as being discussed as an NFL prospect. He may not be as explosive as Callaway, but he seem to be clutch more often than not. I have to go back and watch some games to really critique his route running and hands

[JustInFudge]

2 minutes ago, Paradis said:

Thank you. 

A gator WR? Where do I sign up?

it’s funny I watched a lot of gator games, and it seems that despite playing at a higher level than Cleveland and other gator receivers, Jefferson was never propped up as far as being discussed as an NFL prospect. He may not be as explosive as Callaway, but he seem to be clutch more often than not. I have to go back and watch some games to really critique his route running and hands

Did you actually watch a lot of Gators games?  lol

Cleveland has been nothing but a deep threat and an afterthought since the minute Mullen arrived on campus.  He barely played and was basically relegated to specials.  He was weeded out of the WR rotation because of the arrival of Jefferson and suddenly the passing game emerged.  Jefferson became the go to guy anytime they needed to move the chains and he's been the leading WR since he arrived on campus.  The passing game revolved around Pitts, Jefferson, Perrine, Swain and Grimes.  Grimes is a potential 1st rounder next season.  Absolute beast.  

 

 

[Paradis]

1 hour ago, JiF said:

Did you actually watch a lot of Gators games?  lol

Cleveland has been nothing but a deep threat and an afterthought since the minute Mullen arrived on campus.  He barely played and was basically relegated to specials.  He was weeded out of the WR rotation because of the arrival of Jefferson and suddenly the passing game emerged.  Jefferson became the go to guy anytime they needed to move the chains and he's been the leading WR since he arrived on campus.  The passing game revolved around Pitts, Jefferson, Perrine, Swain and Grimes.  Grimes is a potential 1st rounder next season.  Absolute beast.  

 

 

Of course, however I’d be lying if I said I got to watch a lot this past season. That’s why I said I have to go back and watch the games before I could critique his play much. It was a busy year with kids (lots of acting out) and I wasn’t able to watch a ton of college this year outside of a few marquee games

The games I did get to watch Florida play this year, it seemed like Jefferson (and Perrine) were making the clutch plays - as I intimated word for word. What I did say it was if there was a time that Cleveland and Callaway were regarded as NFL potential prospects, at least that’s the way it felt to me. It didn’t seem like Jefferson‘s name got bounced around in the same capacity. 

not being able to watch as much this past year is also why I haven’t been commenting like a know it all much this year. 

 

[JustInFudge]

14 minutes ago, Paradis said:

Of course, however I’d be lying if I said I got to watch a lot this past season. That’s why I said I have to go back and watch the games before I could critique his play much. It was a busy year with kids (lots of acting out) and I wasn’t able to watch a ton of college this year outside of a few marquee games

The games I did get to watch Florida play this year, it seemed like Jefferson (and Perrine) were making the clutch plays - as I intimated word for word. What I did say it was if there was a time that Cleveland and Callaway were regarded as NFL potential prospects, at least that’s the way it felt to me. It didn’t seem like Jefferson‘s name got bounced around in the same capacity. 

not being able to watch as much this past year is also why I haven’t been commenting like a know it all much this year. 

 

Gotcha.  He was a transfer.  Started at Ole Miss.  Highly recruited, son of a pro/coach.  He transferred because I think he did have some NFL shine on him and then Brown/Metcalf came onto the scene who clearly are much more physical freaks.

Callaway was a 1st rounder since the day he walked on campus, Cleveland not so much.  They basically had a bunch of big play guys like Cleveland until Jefferson came along and provided to be a reliable chain mover because of his ability to consistently get open and catch the ball. 

[Paradis]

7 hours ago, JiF said:

Gotcha.  He was a transfer.  Started at Ole Miss.  Highly recruited, son of a pro/coach.  He transferred because I think he did have some NFL shine on him and then Brown/Metcalf came onto the scene who clearly are much more physical freaks.

Callaway was a 1st rounder since the day he walked on campus, Cleveland not so much.  They basically had a bunch of big play guys like Cleveland until Jefferson came along and provided to be a reliable chain mover because of his ability to consistently get open and catch the ball. 

Agreed, it appreciate your take. This was a wonky year for me. I had to catch the games that I could catch from the fans perspective and that’s about it. Exciting times ahead for the Florida I think.

I was all in on Callaway until the suspension.

[jetstream23]

Not to be confused with Van Morrison.

[GreenFish]

His route running and suddenness is nuts. Him and Crowder on the team could be a problem.

[Lith]

8 hours ago, GreenFish said:

His route running and suddenness is nuts. Him and Crowder on the team could be a problem.

Agreed.  I would still want to draft a guy with more upside, but for a guy who knows how to get open, has really good hands and can keep the chains moving, he is a really nice high floor prosepct.  

I like this player enough to sort through all of the Gators talk from  @JiF and @Paradis in this thread.  Dawgs own the East.

[sec101row23]

12 minutes ago, Lith said:

Agreed.  I would still want to draft a guy with more upside, but for a guy who knows how to get open, has really good hands and can keep the chains moving, he is a really nice high floor prosepct.  

I like this player enough to sort through all of the Gators talk from  @JiF and @Paradis in this thread.  Dawgs own the East.

I think part of that is because he will be 24 years old before training camp starts.  He’s farther along developmentally than most WRs in this draft.  He could be maxed out right now, and that’s fine, but like you said his ceiling may not be as high as some others.  

[Paradis]

9 hours ago, jetstream23 said:

Not to be confused with Van Morrison.

 

[Paradis]

25 minutes ago, sec101row23 said:

I think part of that is because he will be 24 years old before training camp starts.  He’s farther along developmentally than most WRs in this draft.  He could be maxed out right now, and that’s fine, but like you said his ceiling may not be as high as some others.  

I think you’re both right. Not sure drafting him with expectations of being your alpha in the passing game is the way to go.... but we need more guys like him so we can stop handing out inflated contracts to FAs

[sec101row23]

4 minutes ago, Paradis said:

I think you’re both right. Not sure drafting him with expectations of being your alpha in passing game is the way to go.... but we need more guys like him so we can stop handing out inflated contracts to FAs

Agreed.  He can definitely have a role.   Given the lack of quality and quantity in the WR free agent market this year, it’s all but a given that the Jets should have multiple WRs drafted this year.  

[KRL]

Jefferson has definitely paid attention to what his father taught him growing up.
With the type of technique he shows and his ability to beat press man with his "feet"
he could be better on the pro level than he was in college.  Its not all about
40 numbers for WR's, Jet fans should know that better than most.  Stephen Hill
anyone??? 

[section314]

37 minutes ago, KRL said:

Jefferson has definitely paid attention to what his father taught him growing up.
With the type of technique he shows and his ability to beat press man with his "feet"
he could be better on the pro level than he was in college.  Its not all about
40 numbers for WR's, Jet fans should know that better than most.  Stephen Hill
anyone??? 

This. Isn't a WR's job to get open, and then catch the ball?

[nycdan]

On 1/29/2020 at 9:47 AM, section314 said:

This. Isn't a WR's job to get open, and then catch the ball?

Yes, but there are several ways to get open.  Speed is one, but not the only one.  And even with speed, you still need some technique...unless you are Tyreek Hill and then you just need a direction.

[Adoni Beast]

On 1/29/2020 at 9:00 AM, KRL said:

Jefferson has definitely paid attention to what his father taught him growing up.
With the type of technique he shows and his ability to beat press man with his "feet"
he could be better on the pro level than he was in college.  Its not all about
40 numbers for WR's, Jet fans should know that better than most.  Stephen Hill
anyone??? 

Footwork, route running, hands > 40 times and biceps.

[Stonehands]

I watch a lot of UF football and I loved this guy when I thought he was a 6th rounder.  Now, that there are rumors that he is moving up into second and third round consideration, I am not so sure.  His father is Shawn Jefferson, the Jets wide receivers coach, so he is presumably well schooled.  He has good hands, decent speed, good size and he is a good route runner.  We will have to see at the combine, but I doubt that he runs much faster than 4.5 in the 40, which is still very good for a 6' 2" receiver.  This is a very deep draft for receivers, so I still think there is a chance that he is on the board entering the 5th round.  He is good value there, but I think there are guys with better deep speed available before that.

[Jetster]

On 1/27/2020 at 11:37 PM, GreenFish said:

His route running and suddenness is nuts. Him and Crowder on the team could be a problem.

How about Ceedee Lamb, Crowder, Jefferson? Herndon, Bell, a young fast RB, SIGN ME UP!

[JustInFudge]

On 2/4/2020 at 9:54 AM, Stonehands said:

I watch a lot of UF football and I loved this guy when I thought he was a 6th rounder.  Now, that there are rumors that he is moving up into second and third round consideration, I am not so sure.  His father is Shawn Jefferson, the Jets wide receivers coach, so he is presumably well schooled.  He has good hands, decent speed, good size and he is a good route runner.  We will have to see at the combine, but I doubt that he runs much faster than 4.5 in the 40, which is still very good for a 6' 2" receiver.  This is a very deep draft for receivers, so I still think there is a chance that he is on the board entering the 5th round.  He is good value there, but I think there are guys with better deep speed available before that.

I doubt he creeps into the 2nd round or even 3rd for that matter but I dont think he was ever as low as a 6th either.  I think he's a RD4/5 guy, could be wrong and he goes RD3 but there are just so many ridiculous athletes at the WR in this draft that I think Van doesnt climb as much as many are projecting unless he destroys the combines which I just dont see happening. 

[JustInFudge]

17 minutes ago, Jetster said:

How about Ceedee Lamb, Crowder, Jefferson? Herndon, Bell, a young fast RB, SIGN ME UP!

If the Jets could pull a combo of Lam/Jeudy and Jefferson, that would be groovy!  In that scenario, I assume we'd land him in the 4th giving the Jets 3 straight picks in RD2-3 to take OL. 

[Jetster]

3 hours ago, JiF said:

If the Jets could pull a combo of Lam/Jeudy and Jefferson, that would be groovy!  In that scenario, I assume we'd land him in the 4th giving the Jets 3 straight picks in RD2-3 to take OL. 

I'm imagining JD says F it & signs Glasgow & Conklin, Resigns Beachum to a 1 year contract, Drafts CeeDee at 11, J.K. Dobbins falls to us in the 2nd & Joe Douglas envisions a Micheal Irvin/Emmitt Smith type of ressurection for our offense (L.Bell is a goner in 2021), Lloyd Cushenberry C/LSU)  with 1st third, Kristian Fulton CB/LSU) with their second 3rd, 4th round Van Jefferson or Michael Pittman? One or the other.

He'll resign Lewis, Beachum, add Glasgow & Conklin in free agency, draft Cushenberry, let Pollack go to work. 

I would love that offense for Darnold! Ceedee Lamb- Crowder- Jefferson or Pittman- Herndon- Griffin- Wesco- Bell & Dobbins, with a revamped Oline!  F*ck Yea! Totally not out of the realm of possibility. 

[GreenFish]

On 2/7/2020 at 10:10 AM, Jetster said:

How about Ceedee Lamb, Crowder, Jefferson? Herndon, Bell, a young fast RB, SIGN ME UP!

That’s become my dream scenario. Couple that with two OL FA signings and 2 high draft picks on the OL and boom.

[#27TheDominator]

 

On 1/28/2020 at 8:57 AM, Paradis said:

 

Jean-Claude Van Jefferson

[PepPep]

On 2/10/2020 at 5:15 PM, GreenFish said:

That’s become my dream scenario. Couple that with two OL FA signings and 2 high draft picks on the OL and boom.

I think this sounds great. The only problem is you miss out on the opportunity to finally draft a long term solution at LT to draft a WR in a WR heavy draft. Instead, you have to rely on developing one. Which I guess is doable- you can get a Rd. 2 OT who is raw and bring him along slowly. So, if a potential blue chip LT is off the board at 11 sign me up, but if Becton or A.Thomas, or any one of the top 5 OTs are there and JD thinks they can play LT at the next level- I pass on Lamb and look for receivers later on in the draft, as good as Lamb may be.     

[Jetster]

On 2/13/2020 at 10:30 AM, PepPep said:

I think this sounds great. The only problem is you miss out on the opportunity to finally draft a long term solution at LT to draft a WR in a WR heavy draft. Instead, you have to rely on developing one. Which I guess is doable- you can get a Rd. 2 OT who is raw and bring him along slowly. So, if a potential blue chip LT is off the board at 11 sign me up, but if Becton or A.Thomas, or any one of the top 5 OTs are there and JD thinks they can play LT at the next level- I pass on Lamb and look for receivers later on in the draft, as good as Lamb may be.     

I tend to not believe there are 5 LTs worthy of top 11 in this draft, I just don't believe it. I'm sure 1 or 2 guys will be absolute studs, but 5? That's like saying there are 5 WRs worthy of top 11, 5 pass rushers. In the history of the draft I don't remember 5 top LT prospects becoming Stud LTs? 

1st round mistakes. How many for the Jets? I sorry but if your now down to what scouts say if the 4th/5th best LT & Ceedee Lamb or Jerry Jeudy are sitting there? I'm going WR. I think Beachum will be signed to a 1 year deal by JD just to hedge his bet on this draft. Or he'll figure another way to skin this cat. But going into a draft where your at 11 HAVING TO TAKE A LT is GM suicide if you ask me.

[PepPep]

1 hour ago, Jetster said:

I tend to not believe there are 5 LTs worthy of top 11 in this draft, I just don't believe it. I'm sure 1 or 2 guys will be absolute studs, but 5? That's like saying there are 5 WRs worthy of top 11, 5 pass rushers. In the history of the draft I don't remember 5 top LT prospects becoming Stud LTs? 

1st round mistakes. How many for the Jets? I sorry but if your now down to what scouts say if the 4th/5th best LT & Ceedee Lamb or Jerry Jeudy are sitting there? I'm going WR. I think Beachum will be signed to a 1 year deal by JD just to hedge his bet on this draft. Or he'll figure another way to skin this cat. But going into a draft where your at 11 HAVING TO TAKE A LT is GM suicide if you ask me.

Well, I agree that that Beachum will probably be brought back no matter what, or a vet who can fill that role. I'll also say that, maybe not LT studs but O-line studs. At least 4. I think A.Thomas will be a stud LT, I think Wills will be a stud RT or OG, I think Wirfs will be a stud RT/OG maybe LT, and Becton will be a stud LT (although he will most likely start as a RT and need a couple of years to develop). Jones is a bit of an Enigma to me. I just have to see how he does at the NFL level, I actually don't think I would draft him at 11. 

[Jimmy 2 Times]

He seems to be very polished, but limited athletically.  A boarder line #2-3 receiver that’ll get open and move the chains.

 

He’s a double dip prospect if they draft a second receiver in the fourth.

[Barry McCockinner]

 

[JustInFudge]

44 minutes ago, Barry McCockinner said:

 

Dang, that sucks.