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 Packers Authentic Jerseys , 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 鈥?and blocking ability 鈥?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 Authentic Brian Allen Jersey ," 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 Browns Game Jerseys , 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."
MINNEAPOLIS — When the Minnesota Timberwolves clinched their first playoff berth in 14 years with a win against Denver in the regular-season finale, the home crowd at Target Center erupted in jubilation as the drought ended.
Minnesota went on the road to Houston and lost the first two games of the first-round series. The Timberwolves and their fans hope a return home can get them back in the series.
The Rockets come to Minnesota on Saturday with a 2-0 lead after Wednesday’s dominating 102-82 victory, leaving the Timberwolves wondering how to make their mark and hoping they can get a boost from the home crowd.
“It feels good,” Minnesota forward Andrew Wiggins told the Minneapolis Star Tribune about returning home. “Houston took care of business up there and now we’ve got to do the same up here. I know the fans will be excited, the atmosphere will be crazy and the whole team Customized Atlanta Falcons Jerseys , we’re confident. We’re ready.”
Wiggins believes — maybe hopes — the fans will be as involved as they were during the season finale. The Wolves missed the playoffs for 13 straight seasons before this year. The last home playoff game was in the 2004 Western Conference finals against the Los Angeles Lakers.
“I think it’ll be crazy, kind of like the Denver game,” Wiggins told the Star Tribune. “Fans were just screaming and into the game the whole time. We’re home. The fans will be into it. I’m excited. I know the guys are too.”
Minnesota coach Tom Thibodeau knows a lot is on the line on Saturday.
“You’re trying to erase 14 years of losing,” Thibodeau told the Star Tribune. “It’s not an easy thing to do. This team has fought like crazy all year. We were basically a three-seed when Jimmy (Butler) went down. We finished a game out of the fourth spot. I’m proud of what they’ve done and now our challenge is to win this next game.”
It won’t be easy against Houston.
The Rockets only shot 36.5 percent from the field in Game 2 and James Harden was limited to 12 points in 30:46. Yet, Houston won by 20 after squeaking by with a three-point win in Game 1.
“We haven’t played very well so far,” Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni told the Houston Chronicle. “It’ll be crazy up there. They haven’t been in the playoffs for a long time. It will be a very loud crowd. We have to do our part, play defense and take the crowd out of it. We have to be ready for all they got. Whatever they have left, we’re going to get it full throttle right when we get on the floor to start the game.”
Minnesota actually was the aggressor early in Game 2, leading after the first quarter. But the Wolves shot 38.8 percent from the field. All-Star center Karl-Anthony Towns finished with just five points on 2-of-9 shooting. Butler had 11 points, while Wiggins scored 13.
The Wolves were one of the league’s best teams at home with a 30-11 record, but they lost all four games in the regular season to Houston, including twice at Target Center.
“They have a really good team at home Authentic Robert Golden Jersey ,” Harden told the Chronicle. “Nothing’s changed for us. We’ve been a pretty good road team all year. Go out there, execute, limit our turnovers … and just make it tough, make it tough for every guy on their team. We haven’t shot the ball well yet. Knock down some shots, and we’ll be good.”
Minnesota is looking to possibly change its approach. Point guard Jeff Teague has been outspoken at times this year and said the key on Saturday will be playing up tempo to get the crowd in the game.
“What we’ve been playing like hasn’t worked,” Teague told the Star Tribune. “We lost both games, and we played a slow pace. I think we played right into their hands. Last time we played them here at home (in March), we got out in the second half and picked up the pace and made it a closer game. That’s the only way we can play to be successful against this team.”
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