The Jacksonville Jaguars may try and make it seem like they are undecided on who they will take with the number-one pick in the upcoming NFL Draft, but make no mistake, it is only lip service.
With the team in need of a franchise quarterback and Trevor Lawrence available, there is no mystery here. The Jaguars are taking Lawrence. It’s highly unlikely Urban Meyer would have even been interested in the job if that weren’t the case.
The first step in putting a winning team on the football field is having a bona fide winner at quarterback. Sure, there are examples of teams winning titles without a superstar at the position but those are just that, examples, and not the general rule.
Meyer, who was just hired as Jacksonville’s new head coach last month, knows this better than anyone. No way he takes that job only to pass on one the best quarterback prospects of all-time.
“That’s a guy that loves football,” Meyer said via the Jaguars website. “And is confident in his ability.”
Lawrence held his own personal pro-day on Friday, and put on quite the performance. To make it even more impressive was the fact that the quarterback had just two weeks to prepare.
The former Clemson superstar was originally scheduled to perform in a pro-day next month but after it was discovered that Lawrence needs surgery to repair the labrum in his non-throwing shoulder, the event was moved up, and apparently, largely at the behest of Meyer.
“I said ‘Why don’t you just grab the ball and go throw for a little bit, I’d like to send our coordinator and passing-game coordinator to watch,'” Meyer said. “They’ve never seen him. I’ve seen him, so he said, ‘Let’s go.’ That was it. Next thing I know, we’re here at a Pro Day that they put together (quickly).”
