THE CHARK FILE
Team: Carolina Panthers
Position: Wide receiver
Height: 6-4
Weight: 205
Birthday: 9/23/1996, 26 years old
40-Yard Dash: 4.34 seconds
College: LSU
Draft: Second round, 61st pick, 2016
Contract: Signed a 1-year fully guaranteed $5 million deal, 2023
WAG: Chantelle Baker, wife
Children: None reported
Record/Accomplishments:
Pro Bowl, 2019
There are two things we know about the Carolina Panthers heading into the 2023 season:
1. After trading up to snag the No.1 pick in the April draft, the Panthers are going to take a quarterback.
2. That quarterback will have some pretty good weapons.
After signing former Vikings star, wide receiver Adam Thielen, former Eagles, star running back Miles Sanders, and former Bengals tight end Hayden Hurst, the Panthers signed former Lions receiver DJ Chark to a one-year, fully guaranteed $5 million deal. Thielen is a great route runner. Sanders is a pass-catching threat out of the backfield. And Hurst is a big target in the middle, usually a favorite target of young quarterbacks.
That leaves The Flash. Chark, aka, The Flash, is one of the fastest players in the NFL and a serious downfield threat. Chark has 4.34 speed and can stretch a defense. Last season he caught 30 passes for 502 yards (16.7 yards per catch) and three touchdowns.
The NFC South is the weakest division in football. Can a rookie quarterback lead his team to a division title? Why not. Especially when that QB has The Flash.