DeSean Jackson spent Tuesday's practice on the sideline, limping through drills at a startlingly fast speed and effortlessly riding a stationary bike at an alarmingly quick rate. Lavelle Hawkins spent Tuesday's practice on the field, perfecting his pass routes and dominating the scout team defense. For the most part, that's been the story of the season for the Cal receivers. Jackson hasn't been able to live up to unattainable preseason hype, and Hawkins has been a pleasant surprise.
Both Cal receivers are projected as first-round NFL draft picks and both could secure those opinions Saturday against Stanford, which ranks last in the conference in passing yards allowed and total defense. "This year has been a long year and things haven't happened the way I wanted them to happen, personally," Jackson said. "When teams double- and triple-team me, Lavelle has found a way to make big plays. When you're number is called, you have to find a way to make plays.
"Lavelle has done that. I haven't gotten many (chances)." Jackson, a receiving/returning dynamo who is day-to-day with a thigh contusion close to his knee, was heralded as a Heisman candidate. Despite a weak start, he remained in the conversation with a career-high 11-catch, 161-yard performance in a Week 5 win over then-No. 11 Oregon.
Opponents haven't let Jackson continue the campaign. Since he returned a punt 77 yards for a score in the season-opening win over Tennessee, he has gotten only 11 chances in 10 weeks. He's averaging 10.8 yards a return on 12 opportunities.
The same is true of the passing game. Opponents have consistently double-teamed and bracketed Jackson, forcing quarterback Nate Longshore to look for other options. Jackson has 60 receptions for 681 yards and five touchdowns after going for 1,060 yards and nine scores last year. He has been limited to less than 50 receiving yards in six games, including a career-low 5-yard effort against Oregon State. He missed the second-half of last week's Washington loss with a thigh contusion and hasn't practiced much since.
"It would be good to keep the tradition going, but I want to protect my knee from whatever it is," Jackson said. "It's nothing that serious, but I need to get it back to where it needs to be to play." Despite the numbers, Jackson remains a lock for the first round of the draft because of his skills set. If he decides to enter the draft early, he's expected to be a combine wonder, thrilling scouts with his 4.2-seconds 40-yard dash, explosive vertical leap and agility in the cone drills.
Jackson is listed as the No. 11 overall draft prospect by Todd McShay, director of college football scouting for Scouts Inc. ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. doesn't include the junior on his big board, but rates Jackson as the No. 1 junior receiver.
Hawkins has needed more than "measurables" to get that kind of notice. For most of his career, he has been the Afterthought to Jackson and, at times, Robert Jordan. "If DeSean doesn't play then Robert's the man," Hawkins said. "I'm just the man next to the man." The "other guy" is first on the team in catches (62) and yards (792) and is tied with Jackson for the team lead in touchdowns. He also has a team-high 34 kick returns for a team-best 748 yards, including a 90-yard touchdown against Louisiana Tech. Once projected as a fifth-round pick, Hawkins is now listed as the 22nd overall player on by Kiper. "If you came by here in the summer time, there would be nobody on the field except Lavelle," offensive coordinator Jim Michalczik said. "He has always had talent, but he has truly worked his butt off. "I'm not surprised by his production, but I'm really pleased."
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