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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) The Jacksonville Jaguars turned to LSU to improve their running game for the second time in as many years.
The Jaguars selected big and speedy receiver DJ Chark from LSU in the second round of the NFL draft Friday night, giving them a proven deep threat and one of the best perimeter run-blockers available.
Jacksonville chose the 6-foot-3 Chark with the 61st overall pick Friday night. General manager Dave Caldwell and top executive Tom Coughlin stayed in the Southeastern Conference for the third round and took Alabama safety Ronnie Harrison at No. 93.
Chark, Harrison and first-round defensive tackle Taven Bryan probably won't even start as rookies. It's the first time since 2006 the Jaguars didn't get a plug-and-play starter in the first three rounds. It's a tribute to the team's roster, which is mostly intact after making the AFC championship game.
''If they come in and play, that's a bonus, too,'' Caldwell said. ''Competition is great. The more depth you can have and be prepared for any situation, the better off we'll be.''
Bryan will open his career behind Pro Bowler Malik Jackson. Harrison will be back up starters Barry Church and Tashaun Gipson. Chark will be a rotational player alongside Marqise Lee, Donte Moncrief and Keelan Cole.
The Jaguars expect Chark's speed - and blocking ability - to help create more space for bruising runner Leonard Fournette. No team faced more eight- and nine-man boxes than Jacksonville in 2017.
It proved to be a huge problem in the playoffs, especially in the AFC title game. The Jags led New England by 10 points in the fourth quarter and were up 20-17 with a little more than 5 minutes to play, but were unable to do enough offensively to get to the Super Bowl.
''It's a pick not only for our passing game, but also for our running game, too,'' Caldwell said. ''Obviously, when you have a guy with that type of speed, teams have to be cognizant of him making the big plays down the field.''
Chark covered the 40-yard dash in 4.34 seconds at the NFL scouting combine, the fastest of any receiver at the event. He also turned heads at the Senior Bowl while catching passes from Richmond's Kyle Lauletta.
''Being able to go over the top and get open, I feel like I am a kid in a candy store right now,'' Chark said.
Chark was college teammates with Fournette, the fourth overall pick in the 2017 draft. Both wore No. 7 at LSU, which annually gives the number to its top playmaker.
Chark, a Louisiana native, didn't make nearly as many plays for the Tigers as Fournette did, but mostly because he never played alongside a notable quarterback.
He caught 66 passes for 1,351 yards and six touchdowns in three seasons at LSU. He had 40 receptions for 874 yards and three scores as a junior in 2017. He averaged 21.9 yards a reception, which ranked sixth nationally.
''He's a very good run blocker, which you don't hear much about with wide receivers,'' Caldwell said. ''He's a good fit for what we want to do offensively, and he's got some rare traits.''
The Jaguars gave Lee a four-year contract worth $38 million in free agency and signed Moncrief to a one-year, $9.6 million deal. Cole and fourth-rounder Dede Westbrook showed promise as rookies last season.
Caldwell said they considered moving up to as high as No. 50 to draft Chark but were unable to find a trade partner, so they had to wait nervously through a run on receivers.
''I don't know if we struck out of hit a home run because we didn't trade up and we got him,'' Caldwell joked. ''... Nobody likes the Jags. Back when we were 3-13, everybody wanted to make deals with us.''
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