Jaguars DJ Chark Is An Impressive Addition At Wide Receiver

Wide Receiver DJ Chark, the Jacksonville Jaguars second-round draft pick, is off to a great start for the team.

Jacksonville Jaguars rookie wide receiver DJ Chark looks like another top-notch draft choice.  He has the size and speed to become a serious contributor sooner rather than later.

A popular NFL cliche is that the best way to build a team is through the draft.  The Jaguars have followed this tradition by drafting six solid starters the past two drafts. In addition, the 2014 draft produced four additional starters.  The 2018 draft may be another winner. As of today, the team has two seventh-round picks in the starting line up.

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Chark could become another starter before the season is finished. There is no doubt we need to learn more about him.

Draft profile 

Chark is 6’4” and weights in at 199 pounds.  He attended college at LSU (Louisiana State University)  a member of the SEC (Southeastern Conference). His overall draft grade of 5.84 indicates the potential to be a starter.  Likewise, his 40-yard dash time of 4.34 indicates better than average speed for an NFL receiver.

Lance Zierline of NFL.com discussed his strengths and weaknesses.

"To start, positives include; tall and fast, can return punts if needed, shows double moves, and has explosive potential.  However some negatives are; runs upright in routes, ball tracking is uneven, and needs to increase upper body strength."

OTAs and Training Camp

Training camp and OTA followers have become quite familiar with Chark.  He has been a stand out since the beginning.

"Several posts on Jaguars.com have been highly complementary. First, a post entitled What We Learned: The First Eight Days stated, “DJ Chark Jr. has the feel of an impact rookie.  The second round receiver has improved steadily throughout camp and was consistently making plays the first week.”"

A later article – First off the field: Day 10 reinforced this high praise.

"”Rookie DJ Chark continued a string of impressive practices that began early in training camp”"

He has worked with the first and second teams in training camp. He is able to get open and catch a variety of passes. In addition, he is a ream player and willing to play on special teams.

Preseason game one

Chark did not disappoint when the lights came on.  He caught one pass for 15 yards and made a spectacular tackle while playing special teams.

Comments

Many pundits and fans felt that the Jaguars receiver corps would be lackluster with the losses of Allen Robinson and Allen Hurns.  Happily, Chark and our other young receivers are proving to be talented successors to those stars of yesterday.  Go Jags!