Laviska Shenault Breakout Season Incoming?
The Jaguars are making a concerted effort to get the ball in the hands of Laviska Shenault more frequently. Mostly because his development is giving Jacksonville no other choice. As the former 2nd round pick from Colorado heads into year two, Shenault is the talk of the town. Is a breakout season incoming?
Michael DiRocco of ESPN says Shenault has been the Jaguars best offensive player during this offseason:
“Shenault has arguably been the Jaguars’ best offensive player throughout OTAs and minicamp. He’s not exactly an under-the-radar guy, but with the addition of Marvin Jones Jr. and a rejuvenated DJ Chark Jr. and draft pick Travis Etienne getting reps at receiver, had Shenault not had a good offseason, he ran the risk of getting left behind in terms of touches. The Jags are keeping him at receiver instead of trying to use him in the backfield at times, and his development has been one of the highlights of the spring.“
The fact that Shenault is starting to flash is not surprising. I didn’t necessarily hate Shenault coming out of the draft but I felt that the Deebo Samuel comps were way too rich for my blood. Like Deebo, Shenault did have a similar playing style. Just didn’t pop the same way.
For all intents and purposes, Shenault had a very solid rookie season. 58 receptions, 600 yards, and five touchdowns is something you will take all day from a rook. Especially in this instance where he played running back and wide receiver in college.
DJ Chark is the led receiver in Jacksonville. Marvin Jones will likely take the secondary role. If Shenault can win the slot job and win snaps as a weapon in the backfield, he could be a sneaky fantasy play. At worst, he figures to be an interesting weapon in this offense.
If the emergence of Shenault is real, where the hell does that leave Travis Etienne? Is this scrub really going to be a third down back? It will be curious to see how this progresses because Shenault is in direct competition with Etienne for touches. My bet is on the Colorado product.
Keep an eye on Laviska Shenault. We see breakouts happen every year in the NFL. Maybe the Deebo comps will turn out to be not as crazy after all.
