Since the Jaguars completed No. 1 pick in this year’s draft, it has not been concluded that the club will use that pick on Clemson’s quarterback. Trevor Lawrence, a potentially generational talent. If you wanted more evidence that Jacksonville would make Lawrence the first player to hear his name when the draft begins on April 29, you have it.
Lawrence underwent surgery on his left shoulder (which was not released), but to show off his skills before going under the knife, he celebrated a first professional day last Friday. And as John Reid of the Florida Times-Union, the new head coach of the Jaguars, writes Urban Meyer it was key to getting that professional day.
When he learned just over a week ago that Lawrence would need surgery, Meyer said he had several calls with his future quarterback. “We made a Zoom call with him and I asked him: there are three options you have. Num. 1, you can wait until March 11 on Pro Day, but now you’re approaching August [for a recovery time]” Meyer said. “It’s getting late because it’s a five-month recovery. It is a six-month injury. The second thing, it can’t be thrown. “
Although Lawrence had nothing to prove, he did not like the second option. He wanted to have a shop window, but agreed with Meyer that waiting until the professional day of March 11, which would mean suspending surgery until after March 11, pushed his recovery too far into the summer. Then, as Meyer recounted, “I said why don’t you catch the ball and you’re going to throw a little? I would like to send our coordinator and the passing game coordinator to see them. They have never seen him. I saw him, so he said to me, “Let’s go.”
Lawrence was predictably brilliant in his professional day, so even if the Jags had any questions about his skills, they probably won’t do it now. Along with Meyer, offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell and passing game coordinator Brian Schottenheimer they were present. Jacksonville is probably still a year or two away from the playoffs, but the expectation is that having Lawrence in the middle will pretty much speed up team rebuilding.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.