Cal receiver DeSean Jackson is one of the best available receivers in the 2008 draft.  But what will his efforts in the Pac-10 equate to at the next level?

Think Reggie Bush.  Dominating Arizona State’s defensive backs is a little different than competing against NFL-caliber corners.  That’s sort of what a veteran scout told Thomas George of NFL.com:

“This young man has all of the ability in the world.  He can be as good as he wants to be.  But is he going to do the things necessary to get there?  I had a scout tell me to watch him in workouts with the receivers and see if he is not the last one in the line for drills.  So, I looked.  He was the last one in line for drills.  But there are issues and there are issues.  He’s not evil.  He’s not robbing banks.  If you draft this guy, you’d better have him on a short leash from the get-go.  He seems to have always done just enough to beat those around him relying on the fact he was better than them.  Well, at the next level, they are as good and better than him.”

Size also is a concern for Jackson.  He’s five-foot-nine, and he weighs only 169 pounds.

But he ran the forty in 4.35 seconds at the scouting combine.

So where will he go?  Said the scout to George:  “He goes no later than the second round.  He could get in the bottom of the first round.”

Jackson had visits last week with the Eagles and the Buccaneers.  Next week, he’ll visit with the Rams and the 49ers.

In the end, Jackson’s true abilities at the NFL level won’t be determined until he competes against NFL talent.  It was true of Bush, it will be true of Jackson.  And it’s the only way to know whether any prospects, in any season, will be decent players at the next level.

Indeed, it’s the most important factor in assessing draft picks, but it’s the only piece of information that isn’t available to scouts.