Jaguars Week 1 Rookie Report: Team's Youthful Core Shows Up in Colts Win
The Jacksonville Jaguars (1-0) got their season off to a quick start in Week 1 thanks to significant contributions from this year’s crop of draft picks and rookie free agents, each of whom varying from starters to key role players. Let’s take a look at how the Jaguars' stars of the future fared in Sunday’s 27-20 win over the Indianapolis Colts.
CB CJ Henderson (Round 1, 9th overall)
Snaps played: 62.
Stats: five tackles, three PBUs and one interception.
CJ Henderson was asked right away to be Jacksonville's No. 1 cornerback, and he stepped up to the task in what was a tough matchup vs. T.Y. Hilton. Henderson got the better of Hilton more often than not, including on a game-clinching pass breakup on fourth down at the end of the game. Henderson finished Week 1 as Pro Football Focus' No. 2 graded rookie and No. 2 graded cornerback. Safe to say he had an elite debut, one the Jaguars desperately needed him to have. In fact, there is a strong argument to make that he was the difference between a win and a loss on Sunday.
DE K'Lavon Chaisson (Round 1, 20th overall)
Snaps played: 46.
Stats: two tackles.
While Jacksonville's first top pick had a dominant day, their second first-rounder from April was a good bit quieter. Chaisson played defensive end exclusively for the Jaguars, though his two best plays came when he dropped in space: an open-field tackle on a Jonathan Taylor swing pass and an interception off of Philip Rivers that would eventually be negated due to penalty. As a pass-rusher, however, Chaisson had an uninspiring day, finishing with a team-worst 50.4 pass-rush grade according to PFF.
WR Laviska Shenault (Round 2, 42nd overall)
Snaps played: 31.
Stats: three receptions for 37 yards (12.3 average) and one touchdown. Two carries for 10 yards (5.0 average).
One of three Jacksonville receivers to score a touchdown against the Colts, Laviskia Shenault is currently the only rookie receiver in the league to have a touchdown to his name so far. Shenault did have one drop, which resulted in Gardner Minshew's lone incompletion, but his touchdown was a terrific play against Malik Hooker and his versatility in the backfield and as a chess piece being used in motion were huge asset's to Jacksonville's offense.
NT DaVon Hamilton (Round 3, 73rd overall)
Snaps played: 26.
Stats: two tackles.
Used in a rotational role with Abry Jones at nose tackle, DaVon Hamilton flashed quite a few times as a run defender. He showed terrific block shedding ability in runs against Ryan Kelly and Quenton Nelson, which isn't easy for any NFL nose tackle, let alone a rookie. He needs to find more consistency, especially as a pass rusher, but it was a decent start.
OG Ben Bartch (Round 4, 116th overall)
Snaps played: N/A.
Stats: N/A.
Fourth-round guard Ben Bartch played some special teams but that is it for the backup lineman in his first-ever NFL game.
CB Josiah Scott (Round 4, 137th overall)
Snaps played: N/A.
Stats: N/A.
Josiah Scott did not play any snaps and was passed over for the No. 3 outside cornerback spot in favor of Chris Claybrooks.
LB Shaquille Quarterman (Round 4, 140th overall)
Snaps played: N/A.
Stats: N/A.
It is clear the Jaguars have already made Shaquille Quarterman a big part of their special teams units, but he wasn't on the field for the defense.
SS Daniel Thomas (Round 5, 157th overall)
Snaps played: N/A.
Stats: N/A.
WR Collin Johnson (Round 5, 165th overall)
Snaps played: 9.
Stats: one catch for 14 yards.
Collin Johnson ran just a handful of routes during Sunday's win, but his lone catch came on a key third-and-9 and gave the Jaguars a first down to extend a drive. He didn't play much, but he is the clear No. 5 wide out.
QB Jake Luton (Round 6, 189th overall)
Snaps played: N/A.
Stats: N/A.
Jake Luton was inactive on Sunday.
TE Tyler Davis (Round 6, 206th overall)
Snaps played: N/A.
Stats: N/A.
Tyler Davis was inactive with a knee injury on Sunday.
CB Chris Claybrooks (Round 7, 223rd overall)
Snaps played: 10.
Stats: 3 tackles.
Chris Claybrooks rotated into the game when Tre Herndon and CJ Henderson each left the field for a few snaps to get looked at by trainers. He was targeted three times in coverage but gave up limited yards after the catch and no real big plays.
RB James Robinson (UDFA)
Snaps played: 34.
Stats: 16 carries for 62 yards (3.9 average) and one reception for 28 yards.
Carrying the load as the team's starting running back, James Robinson was one of Week 1's biggest surprises. He had several big runs and he would have had an even better day if his offensive line didn't fail him in a major way in the second half. He displayed good burst, vision, and ability to break tackles. He was also a factor in the passing game, showing off his pass blocking on several reps and then creating the team's biggest play on an amazing 28-yard catch and run following a hurdle over two defenders. He is PFF's 10th highest-graded rookie through the first week of games and the 13th highest-ranked running back.
CB Luq Barcoo (UDFA)
Snaps played: N/A.
Stats: N/A.
Luq Barcoo was inactive on Sunday.
DT Doug Costin (UDFA)
Snaps played: N/A.
Stats: N/A.
Doug Costin was inactive on Sunday.
RB Nathan Cottrell (UDFA)
Snaps played: 1.
Stats: N/A.
Nathan Cottrell was relegated to a purely special teams role on Sunday, though it is hard to see him become active over Dare Ogunbowale moving forward,
TE Ben Ellefson (UDFA)
Snaps played: 13.
Stats: N/A.
Ben Ellefson was mostly used as an extra blocker, though he had a few losses at the point of attack as a run blocker in the second half.
LS Ross Matiscik (UDFA)
Snaps played: N/A.
Stats: N/A.
Ross Matiscik made his NFL debut with the Jaguars as the team's starting long snapper on Sunday.
