Jacksonville Jaguars: Keelan Cole is listed as starting wide receiver

Keelan Cole emerges as a starting wide receiver in the first unofficial Jacksonville Jaguars depth chart

The first unofficial depth chart is posted on the Jacksonville Jaguars website. There are not many surprises except at wide receiver. Keelan Cole is listed as a starting wide receiver.

Cole is listed as the starter over Donte Moncrief and Dede Westbrook. First of all, Cole was an undrafted rookie that played very well last season. He is continuing to play well in training camp.

Remember, last season, Cole caught 42 passes for 748 yards with three touchdowns. He started six games because of injuries that depleted the receiving corp. Cole’s season highlight came when he hauled in a 75-yard touchdown pass against Seattle.

This spring, Moncrief signed with the Jaguars and was projected to replace Allen Robinson as the number one target for Blake Bortles. He has struggled through training camp by battling an injury — an issue that plagued him in Indianapolis.

Moncrief is currently listed as the third receiver behind Cole. Westbrook is the second receiver listed. Perhaps, the slot receiver position will be either Westbrook or D.J. Chark.

Cole is a speedster that will stretch the field vertically. Opposing secondaries will have to give him special attention. After all, he averaged 17.3 yards per reception in 2017. In fact, he might draw double coverage against some weaker secondaries.

Expect Bortles and Cole to test defenses early and often. It’s very important for Jacksonville to be able to unpack the stacked boxes that the run game faces each game. The ability to throw deep consistently will force opponents to play deeper.

Mike Kaye of firstcoastnews.com reports the following of Bortles’ day in practice:

"“His highlight throw of the day was a bomb placed perfectly into the hands … for a touchdown reception of at least 65 yards.” — Kaye, FirstCoastNews.com"

Cole has an advantage that other NFL receivers do not have. He gets to practice against the NFL’s best cornerback duo of Jalen Ramsey and A.J. Bouye. He is going to get better.

Cole is a reason why Jacksonville played well last season. He is a reason why Jacksonville will be explosive on offense this season. This season will be fun to watch.