DJ Chark

After his breakout 2019, a combination of rib, shin and ankle injuries cost Chark three games last year, and he never found any consistency with the Jaguars’ carousel of subpar quarterbacks. But help is on the way. The Jaguars drew the first pick in the draft, with which they selected uber-prospect Trevor Lawrence, who should provide an immediate and significant upgrade. At 6-4, 198, with blazing 4.34 speed, a 40-inch vertical and a 129-inch broad jump, Chark’s athletic profile jumps off the page. And he’s already put up a 1,000-yard, eight-TD season with Gardner Minshew and Nick Foles. Chark won’t just have a new quarterback, but also a new offensive coordinator (Darrell Bevell) and new coach (Urban Meyer). Bevell has directed some run-heavy offenses, but Meyer’s teams have usually had more wide-open attacks, and with Lawrence under center, we have to imagine the Jaguars will be throwing it. Chark should be the top target, but second-year man Laviska Shenault showed promise as the rookie, and the team signed veteran Marvin Jones this offseason.

Despite doing little in 11 games as a rookie, Chark broke out in Year 2, making the most of his 118 targets - 13.8 YPC, 8.5 YPT - for a below-average passing team. At 6-4, 198, and with blazing 4.34 speed, a 40-inch vertical leap and 129-inch broad jump, Chark's physical tools are approaching Randy Moss territory. While he had only one catch of 40-plus yards, Chark caught 17 for 20-plus (T-9th), and there's little doubt he's fast enough to stretch the field. He didn't see a ton of work in the red zone (15 total targets, six from inside the 10) but still scored eight touchdowns and had only four drops all year. With Nick Foles in Chicago, it should be second-year quarterback Gardner Minshew's team all offseason, and he should get better and improve his rapport with the Jags' top receiver. The Jaguars drafted bruiser Laviska Shenault in the second round, and Dede Westbrook is still around, but they're more likely to compete with one another and Chris Conley than cut into Chark's secured role. Finally, the Jaguars offense should improve under new offensive coordinator Jay Gruden, who hasn't had a young receiver with this type of size and speed since he coached A.J. Green in Cincinnati.

A former LSU Tiger, Chark was selected in the second round of the 2018 draft and proceeded to be a non-factor in an unproductive offense for most of the season. He missed five games with a quad injury and had 14 catches for 174 yards, looking very much like a receiver relying on raw talent rather than technical skill. At 6-4, 198 pounds, and with a 4.34 40-yard dash and 40-inch vertical, the 22-year-old still possesses elite tools, but needs to take a significant step forward this offseason in order to utilize them. Dede Westbrook is locked in for regular snaps, but beyond that it's more of a crapshoot for the Jaguars at wide receiver. Chark has a realistic chance to secure the No. 2 or 3 role as he competes with Chris Conley, Marquise Lee and Keelan Cole. The upgrade to Nick Foles at quarterback should help Chark from both a developmental and production standpoint, but at this point it's difficult to call him a potential sleeper given his struggles last year.

The 6-4, 198-pound receiver out of LSU was a potential first-round pick in April's draft, but the Jaguars were able to snatch him late in the second round. Chark had a dominant combine with a 4.34 40-yard dash, 40-inch vertical and 129-inch broad jump after posting 40 catches for 874 yards (21.9 average) and three touchdowns for the Tigers in 2017. The 21-year-old seems unlikely to take on a high-volume role due to the Jaguars run-heavy offense and depth of talent at wide receiver, but his potential as a big-play threat could have Chark making significant contributions in his rookie season.