Jaguars' Rookie Laviska Shenault Eager to Learn From Veteran Receiver Room

For a young wide receiver, the Jacksonville Jaguars room could be seen as a wealth of knowledge.

There is a Pro Bowl receiver in third-year player DJ Chark, the team's clear alpha dog at the position. Chris Conley is a sixth-year veteran who has appeared in 74 games during his career, while Dede Westbrook and Keelan Cole have each spent seasons as starters and major contributors.

Then, of course, there is the unquestioned leader of the room: former Pro Bowler and 16-year NFL veteran Keenan McCardell, who has been Jacksonville's receivers coach since 2017.

"So, I understand that young guys come in, they look at the roster, they realize that, ‘Hey I am in the room with a Pro Bowl receiver.’ But honestly, I am still looking at Coach [Keenan] McCardell because he has done it multiple times," Chark said on Aug. 7. "So, I am looking at Coach [Keenan] McCardell as a leader for me."

Considering the Jaguars have two rookie draft picks at the receiver position in second-rounder Laviska Shenault (No. 42) and fifth-round pick Collin Johnson (No. 165 overall), this is quite the advantageous situation for the team's young pass-catchers. And with the Jaguars set to rely on Shenault specifically to add a spark to an offense that ranked 26th in scoring last season, it can only help the Jaguars for the former Colorado star to take as many pointers as he can.

"But of course, still though, learning from others, you never want to stop doing that," Shenault said in a video press conference on Friday. "So, I’m definitely ears open and I’m listening to my receivers because they’ve played 17 years and the vets in the room that have years under their belt. So I’m always listening and they’re always helping out."

Shenault has impressed during the early parts of Jacksonville's training camp and it is likely no coincidence that he is surrounded by a receivers room that has done and seen it all. Chark himself has said he has made it a point to help both Shenault and Johnson have better rookie seasons than he had in 2018, and so far it appears as if the rookies are taking the veteran's advice at each turn.

“A lot, a lot, we talk all the time. Any little tips or any little thing that I fail to do on the field, he’s helping me out," Shenault said about Chark. "Like I said, he’s not the only one helping out, you’ve got everybody helping out. It’s a team so far, it’s a good team so far.”

Shenault has flashed terrific athleticism and hands during padless practices thus far, but the rookie still has a long road ahead of him before he is a productive NFL player. He will still have to work on his game each and every day, and lean on players like Chark and Conley, and his veteran coach McCardell.

So far, it at least appears as if Shenault has taken the advice and the responsibilities of being Jacksonville's top draft pick on offense to heart.