INDIANAPOLIS -- LSU WR D.J. Chark's stock for the NFL draft just keeps rising.
The former Tigers star with a reputation as a deep threat showed pro scouts why he was exactly that at the college level, clocking an official 4.34 40-yard dash Saturday at the 2018 NFL Scouting Combine. Chark averaged 21.9 yards per catch for LSU last season (40 for 874), which ranked sixth in the nation, and brings the length and catch radius NFL coaches like at 6-foot-3. NFL.com analyst Chad Reuter believes Chark's skill set makes him a strong fit for the Dallas Cowboys, Arizona Cardinals, Baltimore Ravens, Carolina Panthers, Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars and San Francisco 49ers.
Chark also turned in the best vertical jump among wide receivers at the combine with a 40-inch leap. As of wide receiver workouts on Saturday, only three other combine participants had turned in 40-plus verticals: RB Saquon Barkley (41), RB Bo Scarbrough (40) and RB Kerryon Johnson (40). Per NFL.com analyst Daniel Jeremiah, Chark has solidified his draft stock.
Chark's surge as a draft prospect doesn't begin and end with Indianapolis, however. He was also among the top-performing wide receivers at the Reese's Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala., in late January. NFL Network draft expert Mike Mayock named Chark as one of the week's top performers and after impressing NFL coaches and scouts during the practice week, he took co-MVP honors in the annual game with a five-catch, 160-yard performance.
Follow Chase Goodbread on Twitter *@ChaseGoodbread*.