As the NFL Draft approaches, Jacksonville has a ton of needs.
With D.J. Chark, Laviska Shenault, James Robinson, and Collin Johnson all on the roster, receiver isn’t really one of those needs. However, the Jags have met with former Clemson standout Amari Rodgers, meaning they at least have some interest in drafting a wideout.
Pairing the versatile receiver with new head coach Urban Meyer and his offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell makes a lot of sense on the surface and even more so after the Jags told Rodgers how they envisioned using him in the offense.
“The Jaguars told me they see me as a Percy Harvin type player,” Rodgers said in a recent interview on local Clemson radio station WCCP. “I had a interview with them last week and it went really well.”
Most college football fans will remember Harvin from his days at Florida when Meyer was head coach of the Gators. He is one of the more underrated players of the BCS era.
Since 2000, only three times has a player accumulated for than 600 rushing yards and 600 receiving yards. Harvin was responsible for two of those. He’s also one of only two wide receivers in Division I-A football since 1996 to have over 1,500 rushing and 1,500 receiving yards, and is the only wide receiver to accomplish those numbers in just three seasons dating back to 1996.
Harvin was Meyer’s do-it-all guy on those teams. It’s easy to see Rodgers playing a similar role out of the slot or even in the backfield in the Jaguars offense if the team does in fact decide to pull the trigger on drafting the speedy receiver from Tennessee.
What makes this combination even more interesting is the fact that Rodgers’ former teammate Trevor Lawrence is expected to taken by Jacksonville with the number-one overall pick, meaning the two would be reunited and starting their NFL careers together.
