JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – During training camp DJ Chark looked like the Jaguars got a steal in the second round of the 2018 draft. Historically rookies have a tough time adjusting from college to the NFL. That was certainly the case for Chark in 2018.
Oh my, DJ Chark! On Jalen Ramsey #Jaguars pic.twitter.com/isnfdZSUT6
— Mike Kaye (@mike_e_kaye) August 1, 2018
Position: Wide Receiver
2018 Stats: 14 catches, 174 yards
2018 season in review: Outside of Dede Westbrook the Jaguars didn’t get much production from their wide receivers this season. As a junior at LSU, Chark averaged 21.9 yards per catch.
In recent years Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry have had a ton of success post LSU. Chark has some work to do if he’s going to be mentioned in the same breath as those two.
As a rookie Chark never got comfortable in the Jaguars offense. He was targeted 32 times and had four drops, which was tied for 19th in the NFL. His best outing came in a blowout loss to Kansas City where he had two catches for 68 yards.
Chark was able to carve out a role as a gunner on the punt team. But that’s not why you draft a wide receiver in the second round.
Status for 2019: A quad injury caused Chark to miss five games in 2018. That certainly played a part in his lack of development. Spending a full off-season in the Jaguars program should help Chark have more of an impact in 2019.
Wide receiver is a huge question mark for the Jaguars. Westbrook should be able to build upon his sophomore campaign. There’s no telling how Marqise Lee will recover from a knee injury. Donte Moncrief is a free agent and is unlikely to return. Keelan Cole is coming off a down year.
That leaves Chark with an opportunity to seize a large role in the Jaguars offense for 2019.