After overhauling their receiving corps with big-money signings, the Jacksonville Jaguars could be looking to move on from a recent Day 2 draft pick.
Wideout Laviska Shenault, a second-round selection in 2020, is a potential trade candidate after his team added Christian Kirk, Zay Jones and tight end/slot receiver Evan Engram in free agency, according to a report Tuesday from ESPN’s Michael DiRocco.
Shenault has posted middling stats in a pair of bad Jaguars offenses (121 catches, 1,219 yards, five touchdowns over two seasons), and Jacksonville’s current regime clearly is not high on his potential. But his youth, cheap contract and intriguing versatility could make him a worthwhile experiment for the New England Patriots.
Listed at 6-foot-1, 227 pounds, Shenault has lined up out wide, in the slot and in the backfield for the Jaguars, and he often was used as a direct-snap rusher during his time at Colorado, where he was praised for his physicality and catch-and-run ability.
Shenault has not been especially effective as a ball-carrier for Jacksonville, rushing 29 times for 132 yards, eight first downs and no touchdowns in 30 NFL games.
During a team-produced “Belestator” segment before the Patriots’ January matchup with the Jags, head coach Bill Belichick singled out Shenault, comparing the 23-year-old to former New England receiver/running back/kick returner Cordarrelle Patterson.
“They use him in a lot of different ways,” Belichick said. “Sometimes in the backfield, and sometimes he’s out at receiver. He’s really a guy that plays a lot of different positions. … Big, strong guy that’s hard to tackle. … About 225 pounds, along the lines of a Cordarrelle Patterson type of guy. But he’s very good with the ball in his hands. They hand it to him, they throw it to him. He’s a big target and a good run-after-catch player.”
Shenault has two years remaining on his rookie contract, with salaries of $1.3 million in 2022 and $1.66 million in 2023. The Patriots could view him as a more versatile, higher-upside version of N’Keal Harry, who reportedly has garnered offseason trade interest after three disappointing Patriots campaigns.
A number of Jaguars players could come available in the wake of their wild free agent spending spree. Another who could pique the Patriots’ interest: veteran linebacker Myles Jack, who reportedly was released Tuesday.
