Panthers Trade for Jags' Utility Weapon Laviska Shenault a Day Before Cut Deadline
Well, general manager Scott Fitterer might as well make a move to add LSU's K'Lavon Chaisson to complete the robbery of Jacksonville's 2020 draft class that featured first round pick CJ Henderson. Carolina traded for the talented young corner midseason last year and it's beginning to pay dividends after securing a full offseason under his belt in a new environment. Perhaps the same could happen with the addition of the former Colorado Buffalo standout Laviska Shenault.
To be completely honest, I was kinda stunned when Ian Rapoport tweeted the following:
Sources: The #Jaguars are trading WR Laviska Shenault to the #Panthers. A new playmaking weapon.
Of all the positions on the roster to address, it seemed to me that wide receiver was one of the last areas of need, with a mix of young guys and vets competing for the WR6 spot on the team, including CJ Saunders, Derek Wright, Brandon Zylstra, and Andre Roberts. However, Fitterer has constantly reiterated his willingness to be in on every deal, and this is no different.
Much like Henderson's situation, Shenault was deemed the odd man out by a new regime, and could take the next step in a familiar offensive system (played under McAdoo his rookie season in 2020) and new environment. The 2022 offseason saw the Jaguars target offensive skill players like Christian Kirk, Evan Engram, and Zay Jones, spending upwards of $100 million (with guaranteed and incentives included); This pushed the former Colorado Buffalo standout to move further down the depth chart, with recent reports indicating he was working with the 2nd team.
The 23-year-old certainly didn't live up to his full potential that most saw coming out of the draft process but he wasn't that bad as a complementary receiver; here's his stat line over the past two years:
Watching his highlights and reviewing reputable Twitter sources' (and passionate fans) comments on the young wideout gives me the impression that Laviska could find himself in a role similar to that of Deebo Samuel due to his physical nature in the game, a 6'1 227 lb frame, and a remarkable run-after-the-catch ability he displayed most notably against the Cincinnati Bengals last year (his most productive game).
This could mean that the front office makes a surprising cut or two on Tuesday, considering Shenault's unique ability to play out of the backfield. Former 4th round pick Chuba Hubbard hasn't shown steady hands for much of his professional career, consistently suffering from a case of the "dropsie's", including a couple crucial mistakes in Week 3 of preseason.
As of Monday evening, the compensation looks like the Panthers will be giving up a 2023 7th round pick and a 2024 6th round pick in return for the former 2nd round pick (as reported/tweeted by Mia O'Brien). I feel as if that's a win considering his body of work in only two seasons as a pro, with plenty left to prove. Maybe it's just me; What are your thoughts? Leave your comments down below and stay tuned for more news :)