Jaguars' Gardner Minshew Excited About the Addition of Rookie Laviska Shenault
Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Gardner Minshew is no stranger to the talent and tantalizing skill set of rookie wide receiver Laviska Shenault. In fact, he may know more than anybody just how much of a weapon his new teammate is.
Shenault starred for the Colorado Buffaloes during his college career from 2017-2019, with his best season being a pattern of dominant performances in 2018. That season, Shenault caught 86 passes for 1,011 yards and six touchdowns and rushed 17 times for 115 yards and five touchdowns.
That same year, Shenault also crossed paths with his future quarterback as Colorado took on Minshew and the Washington State Cougars. Washington State trounced Colorado 31-7, but Minshew and the rest of the college football world still saw the immense talent of Shenault as he collected 10 receptions for 102 yards.
“I am super excited. I remember playing against him in 2018 and he kind of banged up our game, which I was not upset about because he was the type of guy that every time he touched the ball you just got nervous because you knew he could break it, we had seen it on tape and at that point he was going to be in the talks for the Heisman until he got injured that year," Minshew said in a video conference on Thursday.
"He is a very special player. I am excited for him. He is just the type of guy that you get the ball in his hands and good things tend to happen.”
The Jaguars have already talked up Shenault's versatility, which was his calling card at Colorado thanks to a rare blend of size, explosion, agility, and physicality. Colorado utilized him at wide receiver, tight end, wildcat quarterback, and even in the backfield as a running back.
Jacksonville has similar plans for their exciting rookie, who they selected No. 42 overall in last month's draft. They won't pile too much onto his plate too early, but it is clear the Jaguars want Shenault to be a versatile and dynamic weapon for Minshew in his first season as the full-time starter.
"Obviously, we feel he has the size and the speed to play outside. After we had drafted him and I got on the phone with him, both [Offensive Coordinator] Jay [Gruden] and I had a plan. We talked about how we’re going to do it and how we’re going to use him," head coach Doug Marrone said following the draft.
"I told him, I said, ‘Look, we have some plans,’ and you can put him in the backfield, he can play Wildcat, you can put him as the F-tight end, you can do a lot of things with him. You see it on his tape in 2018 and 2019. That’s one of the things that we looked at; we went back there, and I said, ‘Look, we can do all those things, but the whole key is going to be how well you grasp it, how well you pick it up.’ Because if he can, make no mistake about it, we want to be able to do those things.”
Having a weapon like that can be beneficial to any quarterback, but Shenault specifically strongly meshes with Minshew's skill set. Minshew thrives at both extending plays and getting the ball out of his hands quickly and accurately on shorter passes.
With Shenault's ability to create yards after the catch and turn any short pass into a big play, Minshew has plenty to be excited about. And thus far, it appears the Jaguars' signal-caller is thrilled with his newest weapon.
"It is awesome, know it is something that the defense has to really prepare for. It is nice throwing a 5-yard ball and him taking it 50, it definitely makes the quarterbacks job a lot easier so I am definitely excited to have, to add a guy like that into the room.”
