Overview
Position:Â Wide Receiver
Height:Â 6’3″
Weight:Â 199 pounds
School:Â LSU Tigers
Combine Performance Data
40-yard dash:Â 4.34 seconds (first among wide receivers)
Bench press:Â 16 reps
Vertical jump:Â 40 inches (first among wide receivers)
Broad jump:Â 10 feet 9 inches (third among wide receivers)
D.J. Chark 2018 NFL Draft Profile
D.J. Chark was born in Alexandria, LA and was named after his father, Darrell, Sr., using the nickname ‘D.J.’ at a very young age. He attended Alexandria High School where he was a two-year varsity starter for the football team. Chark played many different positions as a junior and finished the season with 495 rushing yards, 20 receptions, 544 receiving yards and 11 total touchdowns as a junior.
As a senior, Chark played primarily wide receiver and finished the year with 48 receptions, 554 receiving yards, three touchdowns and earned All-State Honorable Mention honors for the second time in his high school career. ESPN ranked Chark as a four-star recruit and a member of the ESPN 300 and he elected to stay close to home and play football for LSU.
Chark saw very limited action his freshman year with the Tigers and did not record a single statistic. His sophomore year was continuing the same trend. However, in the bowl game against Texas Tech, Chark received his first touch on an end around handoff that he took 79 yards for a touchdown. That was Chark’s first statistic as an LSU Tiger. Chark finally was announced a starter his junior season and started six games that year. He finished the year with 26 receptions, 466 receiving yards, three receiving touchdowns, 122 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns.
Chark finally began to receive some national recognition during his senior season. He became the first LSU Tiger since Skylar Green in 2003 to score a touchdown three different ways; receiving, rushing and on a punt return. Chark led the team with 40 receptions, 874 receiving yards, and three receiving touchdowns. As the primary punt returner, he averaged 10.6 yards per return and returned two for touchdowns, one of them being 75-yard return in the comeback win against Auburn.
Following the season, Chark was selected to participate in the Senior Bowl where he stood out during the week of practice and was named co-MVP of the game after catching five passes for 160 yards and a touchdown. Chark added to his draft stock during the NFL Combine flashing his superior athleticism finishing in the top three at the position in three different measurements.
Strengths
- ideal size for an NFL wide receiver;
- has great top-end speed to run by secondary;
- phenomenal in the deep passing game;
- capable punt-returner;
- has a versatile skill set to make plays on jet sweeps and end arounds;
- not intimidated to run routes along the middle of the field;
- stood out in a very run-heavy offensive in college;
- adjusts to the ball in the air well;
- shields off the defender well on comeback routes.
Weaknesses
- needs to improve on the route tree;
- does not get off press coverage very well;
- rounds off a lot of his routes;
- does not win as many 50-50 balls as he should for his size;
- runs high and too stiff at times;
- decelerates when tracking the ball in the air.
NFL Comparison:Â Torrey Smith
Projection:Â Early second round
Teams with a need at the position:Â Arizona Cardinals, Buffalo Bills, Carolina Panthers, Cleveland Browns, Dallas Cowboys, Minnesota Vikings, New York Jets, Tennessee Titans, Washington Redskins
Bottom Line
NFL teams are going to drool at Chark’s size and natural speed because he has arguably the best of this incoming receiver class. He does not have the most impressive stats or film, but that is because he played for a team that did not pass often. Chark’s skill set differs from other receivers to come out of LSU in recent years and he fits better in a west-coast offense that relies on a lot of play action. That being said, if he goes to a team with a good running game and quarterback who likes to take his shots deep, Chark could become one of the more feared deep threats in the NFL for many years.
