Jacksonville Jaguars wide receivers ranked shockingly low by PFF

The Jacksonville Jaguars have a well-rounded wide receiver corps, so it was kind of shocking to see the unit get such a low spot in a recent ranking by Pro Football Focus.

Steve Palazzolo of PFF recently ranked all 32 wide receiver groups in the NFL, and the Jags got landed at 24. He points out that if you only look at the receivers, Jacksonville has the potential to move up several spots on the list. Here’s what Palazzolo had to say about the unit.

"D.J. Chark had a breakout 2019 season and is tied for 21st in receiving grade on 10-plus yard throws over the last two years. That will play well with rookie QB Trevor Lawrence, as will the addition of free-agent receiver Marvin Jones. Jones has the sixth-highest contested catch rate in the NFL over the last three years and his catch-point brilliance will mesh well with Lawrence’s downfield accuracy and aggressiveness."

Palazzolo goes on to say that Laviska Shenault is the wild card. He notes that the Colorado product posted a PFF overall grade of 71.8 last season but had the fifth-lowest average depth of target. He later mentions that fellow sophomore Collin Johnson will be battling for playing time after earning a 73.4 overall grade in 2020.

The Jacksonville Jaguars tight-end unit didn’t get a favorable review.

Palazzolo didn’t stop with the Jaguars’ wide receiver corps and also discussed the tight ends. He says the position is the team’s biggest question mark with Chris Manhertz and James O’Shaughnessy at the top of the depth chart.

"Manhertz has yet to grade above 60.0 in a season as a receiver, while O’Shaughnessy is a career backup who caught a career-high 28 passes last season. Fifth-rounder Luke Farrell caught just 34 passes in his college career, and his best path to contributing early is as a run blocker. It’s also unlikely that a 33-year-old former quarterback will add much to the passing game, so the Jaguars go into the season with one of the worst tight end situations in the league."

Palazzolo believes the Jaguars’ wide receiver unit has potential and thinks that they will be better off using four- and five-wide receiver sets in 2021.

How did the Jacksonville Jaguars get such a low ranking?

The Jaguars are coming off a 1-15 season, so that might have played a role in their position in the ranking. On the other hand, this isn’t surprising. PFF put together another ranking not long ago, and the Jags landed just one spot above. The fact that Palazzolo crammed the receivers and the tight ends together didn’t help matters. Who does that anyway?

There’s no doubt tight end is the Jags’ weakest positional group ahead of the 2021 season but there was no need to include them in the wide receiver ranking. On the bright side, sophomore Ben Ellefson is making strides in training camp. He was getting reps with the first team on Day 5, per Jamal St. Cyr of News4Jax.

Furthermore, head coach Urban Meyer said earlier this year that the North Dakota State product and O’Shaughnessy have improved significantly this season, so there are reasons for optimism. Tim Tebow has also made a good impression in training camp. Although he needs to work on catching passes in traffic.

The Jacksonville Jaguars have a talented wide receiver corps.

Regardless of their place in PFF ranking, wide receiver will be a strength for the Jaguars in 2021. Last season, the group didn’t put up good numbers because the team lacked stability at quarterback.

That should change in 2021 with Trevor Lawrence now at the helm. Chark earned a Pro Bowl designation in 2019 and he could get his second one this upcoming season. Shenault is also a trendy candidate to have a breakout campaign while Marvin Jones will be a productive number-two on the Jaguars’ offense.

While there may be other areas on the roster that could potentially become a concern in 2021, the Jags should be pleased with their wide receiver group, even if they earned a low spot in PFF’s ranking.