5 Jaguars players that need a monster offseason in 2022

No. 3 Jaguars player who needs monster offseason – Laviska Shenault, WR.

Even though the San Francisco 49ers lacked top quarterback play in 2021, their offense ranked seventh in total yards and 13th in points scored, so why were they able to move the ball so efficiently? One big reason was the presence of swiss-knife wide receiver Debo Samuel, who hauled in 77 receptions for 1,405 yards with six touchdowns and averaged 18. 2 yards per catch.

Those are pretty good numbers themselves but Samuel also moonlight as running back and toted the rock 59 times for 365 yards and eight touchdowns. All in all, the former South Carolina Gamecock totaled 1,770 yards from scrimmage and 14 trips to the end zone. Looking back, the Niners got a steal when they chose Samuel with the 36th overall pick in 2019.

So what does this all have to do with the Jaguars? They expected wide receiver Laviska Shenault Jr. to have a similar role on their offense to the one Samuel had for the 49ers but the results weren’t the same. Although Viska caught 63 passes for 619 yards, he only averaged 9.8 yards per reception. Furthermore, he had no touchdowns and wasn’t very effective when running the ball, averaging 3.7 per carry.

Shenault was supposed to have a breakout campaign in 2021 but failed to live up to expectations. It’s possible that the previous coaching staff didn’t know how to use his skillset but the third-year wide receiver will have a chance to show he can be a difference-maker and someone Trevor Lawrence can trust in the passing game.