Stats for Packers Fifth-Round Pick Shemar Jean-Charles

Shemar Jean-Charles, a favorite of the Packers' scouts, put up exceptional coverage numbers, though they come with an obvious asterisk.

Author:
Bill Huber
Updated:
May 7, 2021 10:23 AM EDT
Original:
May 6, 2021

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers used the second of their fifth-round picks on Appalachian State’s Shemar Jean-Charles. Here’s a look at Jean-Charles’ five-year career with the Mountaineers.

Shemar Jean-Charles’ Stats at Appalachian State

Jean-Charles earned some first-team All-American accolades as a senior, when he led the nation with 17 passes defensed (one interception, 16 breakups). Over his two seasons as a starter, he led the nation with 27 passes defensed (two interceptions, 25 breakups) and contributed 82 tackles, two forced fumbles and one tackle for loss.

Having used his first-round pick on Georgia’s Eric Stokes, general manager Brian Gutekunst was happy to double-up at a position of need at the end of the fifth round.

“I really was (surprised he was available),” Gutekunst said. “He was a favorite of a bunch of our scouts. We have a certain process we go through in the final three weeks before the draft. Guys get together and they work our board from the bottom up. This was a guy that just was the outlier for them. They were so excited to try and move this guy up the board, which we did. So, as it unfolded, I got a lot of taps on my shoulder during those period of times about him being on the board and available. So, we were thrilled to be able to select him.”

Going Beyond the Box Score

Jean-Charles dominated as a senior, though that comes with the obvious caveat of facing a bunch of quarterbacks and receivers who’ll never see an NFL training camp.

According to Pro Football Focus, he recorded a higher forced incompletion rate (34.6 percent) than catch rate allowed (32.7 percent). Quarterbacks targeted him 35 times in single coverage and were rewarded with only five completions. On passes thrown 10-plus yards downfield, he allowed just 6-of-34 passing.

According to Sports Info Solutions, he allowed just a 35 percent completion rate (19-of-54) for 311 yards with two touchdowns and one interception.

“A lot of that comes from my preparation,” he said. “My football IQ’s very high, a testament to a lot of my coaches and mentors that I was around in the offseason, and just being able to understand offenses and understand what I’ll possibly get before it happens. It allows me to play just a little bit faster. At the end of the day, I have athletic ability but, once you grasp that mental aspect of the game, it makes it so much slower and makes it so much easier to go out there and just do what feels natural. At the end of the day, a lot of repetitions and a lot of things that I was able to display on the field play hand in hand and I was able to go out there and show the world what I can do.”

Of note, Jean-Charles lined up on the outside 81 percent of the time, one of the highest rates in the draft class, according to SIS, but could wind up in the slot for Green Bay. Critically, especially for life in the slot, a position that’s involved often in run defense, he cleaned up his tackling, going from seven misses (14 percent) to two (5 percent), according to SIS. He’s not physical but he got the job done but, again, the NFL will present a much bigger test.