On the football field, there are lots of reasons why the Jacksonville Jaguars will likely take Trevor Lawrence with the No. 1 overall pick in Thursday’s 2021 NFL Draft.
The former Clemson quarterback has a cannon for an arm. He is accurate. He can make all the throws. He sees the field well and he is very athletic. And, as good as all those reasons are, they are not the only reasons why new Jacksonville head coach Urban Meyer wants Lawrence to quarterback his football team.
“His sincerity. When I say sincerity all he ever talks about is winning. All he ever talks about is getting better. It’s not social media following, he’s not even going to the NFL Draft,” Meyer said recently on Adam Schefter’s podcast on ESPN. “You know, there’s not a whole lot other things in his life than his faith and his family. I’m intrigued by that.”
Meyer is also intrigued by the way other people talk about Lawrence, in particular his Clemson teammates.
“The guy gets married and everyone’s at his wedding and players speak so highly of him,” the legendary head coach said. “I’ve talked too many of his (teammates) on his team, obviously his coaches, but I always like to ask players too. Especially at that position. And you have to be a leader and you have to be respected or quarterbacks will fail.
“He checked those boxes with big black check marks in his boxes. He is respected by his teammates and just his focus in his life is really refreshing.”
The former college football coach, who won two national championships at Florida and one at Ohio State, likes the fact Lawrence is battled tested too. He has been through an intense position battle and has won big games and championships.
The All-American understands what it is like playing on the big stage and having so much pressure placed on his shoulders.
“It’s not that he gets it from last month or two months ago, but you look all the way back to high school and you see he beats out (Kelly Bryant) at Clemson and happens to beat Alabama in the national title game. He handles all the pressures of returning and I don’t believe they won it again but at least they were there every time.
“You’ve got to give credit to his family. That’s not by accident. I just wish I could go meet with them and I will if this all works out and we decide to draft Trevor. I look forward to meeting that family because I love when I see a young person like that, who has everything in line, and that’s not by accident.”
The 2021 NFL Draft begins Thursday at 7 p.m., from Cleveland.
—photo courtesy of Clemson Athletics Communications
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