As if Jacksonville Jaguars fans needed any more hype for the upcoming season after they won the AFC South, won a playoff game, and took the Chiefs to the wire on the road in Trevor Lawrence’s second NFL season, right? Although NFL fans are boarding the Jacksonville Jaguars bandwagon this season en masse already, there are layers to this team that make them incredibly intriguing for the 2023 season.
More specifically, after seeing what Trevor Lawrence did last year in his first year under Doug Pederson, the weapons at his disposal now become all the more intriguing. Lawrence has already reached a level where you pretty much feel like the Jaguars can plug and play anybody in their lineup, and Lawrence is going to help that guy have success. That’s why sixth-round rookie Parker Washington, a former Penn State star, is as intriguing as many, most, if not all other sixth-round picks around the league.
Parker Washington an intriguing option for Jacksonville Jaguars
Last year, everyone was wondering if Trevor Lawrence could break out. Now that he has, the Jaguars and their fans now have the luxury of dissecting every weapon on the roster and wondering what kind of contributions they could make to what is expected to be a high-octane offense again in 2023. Even though there are plenty of other pass-catchers ahead of rookie Parker Washington on the depth chart, his skill set might lead to more snaps early on than people really expect.
A majority of Parker Washington's NFL Draft tape is him torching Ohio State's secondary 🤭pic.twitter.com/NylyrgA0EY
— Locked On Nittany Lions (@LockedOnNittany) April 20, 2023
What Parker Washington lacks in size at just 5-foot-10 he more than makes up for with strong hands. He seemingly catches everything thrown his direction and that includes making plays on difficult contested catches. A lack of elite athletic twitch in combination with that lack of size likely led to him being drafted at least a couple of rounds later than some of his best highlights would suggest he should, but Washington can contribute from the slot and bring a lot to the table.
He not only has strong hands, but he has great vision in the open field and knows how to make plays after the catch. Lance Zierlein of NFL.com noted in his pre-draft assessment of Washington:
"It’s easy to see that Washington has worked hard on all aspects of his craft. He’s not the most athletically gifted player, but he uses all of his talent to maximize his on-field production. Washington plays with well-developed ball skills and the toughness needed to make challenging catches, but finding open windows against man coverage will be difficult, due to his lack of shake and separation. His size and run-after-catch ability help his cause as a backup and possession slot receiver.Lance Zierlein, NFL.com"
For the Jacksonville Jaguars, there’s no real need to heap expectations on a guy like Washington right away. This team is adding Calvin Ridley to its wide receiver room in 2023 along with the return of Christian Kirk, Zay Jones, and stud tight end Evan Engram. The Jaguars also used a second-round pick on Washington’s former Penn State teammate, tight end Brenton Strange.
But even with all of those players ahead of him on the depth chart, don’t be surprised if you see the new no. 11 in Duval County out there terrorizing defensive backs, making a few plays each week either on offense or special teams.