Huard: ‘It is now or never’ for new Seattle Seahawks WR

Apr 3, 2024, 4:59 PM

Seattle Seahawks Laviska Shenault Jr....

Laviska Shenault Jr. of the Carolina Panthers runs with the ball during a 2023 game. (Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

(Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

Seattle Sports

The time is now for new Seattle Seahawks wide receiver/return specialist Laviska Shenault Jr., according to former NFL quarterback Brock Huard.

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Huard, who is a Seattle Sports host and FOX football analyst, discussed the Seahawks’ latest signing Wednesday morning during the Blue 88 segment of Brock and Salk, and he believes Shenault is one of a few Seattle wide receivers who are hitting a decisive window in their NFL careers.

“If you’re Laviska Shenault, you sat on the market for quite some time, you have one of the richest receiver drafts in league history coming in here,” Huard said. “There’s gonna be so much supply of so many talented players, (it’s) like, ‘Hey bro, this is your time right now to make it.’ And I would say the same thing to Dee Eskridge, and I would say the same thing to (Dareke Young). … It is now or never. And if it’s never, you’re going to be in the UFL with Deon Cain and a bunch of these guys that are very good players, but their time and their window passed. So, you better make and maximize this opportunity if you’re Shenault.”

Like Eskridge and Young, Shenault brings some intriguing traits to the team. The 2020 second-round draft pick by the Jacksonville Jaguars measures in at 6 foot 1 and 221 pounds. He had 121 catches for 1,219 yards and five TDs and in first two seasons with the Jaguars. He was also used in the run game.

But Shenault’s offensive numbers dipped the past two seasons with the Tennessee Titans. The University of Colorado product caught just 37 passes with the Titans, including only 10 last season. He emerged as an option at kick returner, though, averaging 27.8 yards on six returns.

Huard said there is still a reason Shenault drafted with the No. 40 overall pick.

“He’s a unique guy, man,” Huard said. “… We see so many of these receiver body types that we kind of get used to seeing, and he was really a running back that was playing receiver at (Colorado). When I (called him in Colorado games) two, three, four times, I was like, ‘Man, this guy is really, really special.’”

“Like Golden Tate?” co-host Mike Salk asked.

“Yeah, but taller,” Huard responded. “… Big, thick, strong running legs and a powerful dude.”

Listen to the full Blue 88 segment from Wednesday’s Brock and Salk in the player near the top of this post or in the third segment of the podcast at this link.