4 Jags weapons that are currently in place if the Jags draft Trevor Lawrence
Clemson star Trevor Lawrence declared for the draft this week, which means he’s likely to be a Jacksonville Jaguar this April. While the team has a lot of work to do to improve their roster after a one-win season, there were some positives to come from the offensive side of the ball.
When looking at their skill guys, they particularly saw promise out of a few rookies, which provided some hope to fans during a gloomy season. With the right quarterback in place, like Lawrence, the unit could take a significant step in 2021.
That said, let’s look at some skill players who are signed through 2021 who could be fun to watch if paired with the Clemson star:
Mandatory Credit: Douglas DeFelice-USA TODAY Sports
What a gem the Illinois State rookie turned out to be for the Jags, right? After the team decided to move on from running back Leonard Fournette, the undrafted phenom took the RB1 spot and never looked back. While he missed the Jags' last two games with an ankle injury, Robinson finished the season with 240 carries for 1,070 yards and seven rushing touchdowns. That's a total that tied him at fifth in the league alongside David Montgomery. Throughout the season he broke many records in the undrafted category. The most notable was surpassing former Colt Dominic Rhodes for the most yards from scrimmage of any undrafted rookie in NFL history (1,328 yards). Simply put, Robinson should be viewed as one of the top tailbacks in football heading into 2021. Coordinators have often said a great tailback helps a quarterback tremendously, and with an arm talent like Lawrence, that could especially be true as the Jags could keep defenses off balance. https://youtu.be/JtjwdXIPuXU
WR DJ Chark Jr.
Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver D.J. Chark (17) runs down the sideline on a catch in the second quarter of the NFL Week 7 game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Jacksonville Jaguars at Paul Brown Stadium in downtown Cincinnati on Sunday, Oct. 20, 2019.
Jacksonville Jaguars At Cincinnati Bengals
DJ Chark didn't quite put up the numbers he was hoping for this year after going to the Pro Bowl in 2019. He ultimately finished the year with 53 catches for 706 yards and five touchdowns. When reflecting on the season, his decline in play seems to be for a variety of reasons like the frequent change in quarterbacks, injuries, and simply trying to do too much. When looking back at Gardner Minshew's time on the field particularly, it was clear he wasn't the player fans saw in 2019, which also hurt the production of his top target. https://twitter.com/SBD/status/1343268899865956353?s=20 However, Chark's luck could all change with an arm talent of Lawrence's level. The young receiver was his best when attacking vertically in 2019 and that's perfect for Lawrence who will be looking for his version of Amari Rodgers on the NFL level.
WR Laviska Shenault Jr.
Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
Robinson was the star of the Jags draft class, but second-rounder Shenault wasn't far behind. He ultimately finished the season with 53 catches for 500 yards and five touchdowns, but the best is clearly yet to come with Shenault. Shenault started the season making highlight plays and ended it that way, too. In fact, he had four touchdowns in their last five games. His best showing during that stretch was the Jags' season finale, where he proved to be a serious red zone threat and snagged two touchdowns against the Colts. When adding in the ability after the catch that fans say on occasions, it appears Lawrence has a receiver who can do the dirty work. Oh yeah, and did we mention he lined up all over the field for the Jags including at running back and quarterback? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1hPHM9PKF4
WR Collin Johnson
Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Continuing on the trend of the rookie class, Collin Johnson is another player who flashed for the Jags. The rookie only had 18 catches for 272 yards and two touchdowns, but he had moments where he made explosive highlight reel plays (had a 15.1 yard average). https://twitter.com/kevinfromduval/status/1345180453012185089?s=21 https://twitter.com/thecheckdown/status/1335692076319576065?s=21 Lawrence has had success with a variety of receivers at Clemson, but some of his best highlights occurred with the long and lanky Tee Higgins (6-foot-4, 216 pounds), who was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in April. That should excite fans about what he could do with an even bigger target on the perimeter in Johnson, who is 6-foot-6, 222 pounds. When looking at Johnson's key moments this season, they mostly came with veteran quarterback Mike Glennon on the field. Lawrence will mark an upgrade over him, which should make fans excited about Johnson taking another step if the Clemson star is drafted first overall.
