Jaguars take Colorado WR Shenault in 2nd round of NFL draft

Colorado receiver Laviska Shenault compares himself to NFL stars Larry Fitzgerald, Julio Jones and Jarvis Landry.

He believes he has Fitzgerald’s business-like approach, Jones’ do-everything ability and Landry’s on-field attitude. The Jacksonville Jaguars love his confidence and feel like it could serve him well at the next level.

Jacksonville gave quarterback Gardner Minshew another target by selecting Shenault in the second round of the NFL draft Friday. The Jaguars took Shenault with the 42nd overall choice in hopes that he will emerge as a passing threat opposite Pro Bowl receiver DJ Chark.

The Jaguars released Marqise Lee earlier this week, leaving them with three wideouts — Chris Conley, Dede Westbrook and Keelan Cole — entering the final year of their contracts.

“If this kid would have been draft-eligible last year and come out, he probably would have been a top-10, top-15 pick,” said Mark Ellenz, the team’s director of college scouting. “In person, he looks like a linebacker. He’s really good with his RAC, his run after catch, not only with burst and explosive speed, but he’s a strong kid and can break tackles.

“He blends a lot of things together.”

The 6-foot-1, 227-pound Shenault had core muscle surgery following a lackluster performance in the NFL combine. But he could fit nicely in Jacksonville, which is moving to a west coast offense under new coordinator Jay Gruden and wants quicker passes intended to allow receivers to make plays after the catch.

Shenault led the Football Bowl Subdivision with 9.6 catches a game as a sophomore in 2018 and ranked fourth in the nation with 112.3 receiving yards a game. He caught 86 passes for 1,011 yards and six touchdowns that season for Colorado. He also scored on five of 17 carries, making him the only player in the country to have five rushing and receiving touchdowns.

He was slowed a bit last season, first playing through a shoulder injury and then the core injury.

He finished his college career with 149 catches for 1,943 yards and 10 touchdowns. He also ran 42 times for 280 yards and seven scores.

“I can move around everywhere and do anything and dominate in different places and do what everyone loves,” Shenault said.

Shenault wears dreadlocks to honor his late father. Laviska Shenault Sr. died in July 2009 from injuries suffered after being hit by a car on the side of a highway after he had exited his vehicle to switch from the passenger seat to the driver’s seat. His mother, Annie, survived West Nile Virus.

Shenault Jr. wrote a letter to NFL general managers that was published in The Players Tribune in which he promised to “represent your organization with the same pride and respect that represent the values taught to me by my late father.”

Character is becoming a trend in Jacksonville, which has struggled the last two years while dealing with a fractured locker room. First-round picks CJ Henderson and K’Lavon Chaisson are considered clean character guys.

“It’s just another door opened,” Shenault said. “It’s another level, and there’s more levels, too. I’m not stopping right now. I’m going to keep on leveling up.”

The Jaguars pick again in the third round Friday, No. 73 overall. They still have plenty of holes to fill, most notably at defensive tackle where they opted not to pick up an option in Marcell Dareus’ contract last month.

General manager Dave Caldwell already took a big swing at rebuilding a defense that was considered one of the best in the league just a few years ago. He chose speedy Florida cornerback Henderson with the ninth overall pick and added versatile pass-rusher Chaisson at No. 20.

It was the fourth consecutive year that Caldwell used his first two picks on players from the powerhouse Southeastern Conference. The previous ones: LSU running back Leonard Fournette and Alabama left tackle Cam Robinson in 2017, Florida defensive tackle Taven Bryan and LSU receiver DJ Chark in 2018, and Kentucky defensive end Josh Allen and Florida right tackle Jawaan Taylor in 2019.

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