Laviska Shenault a weapon to watch for Jaguars in 2020

Jaguars rookie Laviska Shenault is a playmaker to watch the rest of 2020.

Anyone who watched Jacksonville Jaguars rookie wide receiver Laviska Shenault at Colorado knows that he had one of the most versatile all-around games of any skill player in the 2020 NFL Draft.

Shenault was a jack-of-all-trades for the Buffs, but it didn’t mean he was a master of none. Shenault has always been a playmaker, and no matter what position he was lining up at, he found a way to break off chunk gains for the Colorado offense.

Once considered a sure-fire first-round player, Shenault’s stock dipped to the second round in 2020 after injuries simply piled up too high in his time at Colorado.

Those injury concerns were compounded by a very physical style of play for Shenault, who can utilize his size and power just as well as he can his speed and quickness.

As the Jaguars get set for a prime time matchup against the seemingly hapless Miami Dolphins, Shenault is set for a breakout performance in the spotlight.

You have to tip your cap to Jacksonville Jaguars offensive coordinator Jay Gruden for making sure Shenault’s valuable all-around skill set does not go to waste.

When he was at Colorado, I charted plays where Shenault played outside receiver, slot receiver, ‘wildcat’ QB, running back, tight end, and H-back. That doesn’t even include special teams.

Essentially, Shenault is far too good at football to limit him to just one position and force him to learn how to perfect that specific area of his game immediately.

The Jaguars have taken an unfortunately rare approach when it comes to college skill players transitioning to the NFL, and they’ve put their faith in Shenault’s talent rather than their ability to develop him as ‘just’ a wide receiver.

Through two games, Shenault is second on the Jaguars behind top running back James Robinson with 13 touches (eight receptions, seven carries) and he’s truly been a featured piece in the offense.

Shenault isn’t just getting gimmick carries, either. He’s lining up as a running back and running people over…

The Jaguars have been getting Shenault an average of 7-8 looks per game and are actually being creative with their usage of him. The combination of Jacksonville’s commitment to letting Shenault play to his strengths and actually getting him the ball a fair amount each game should lead to a big-time breakout sooner rather than later.