Urban Meyer and Dabo Swinney were opponents in two big college bowling games. On Friday, Meyer and Swinney spoke for a significant time while watching quarterback Trevor Lawrence’s Pro Day in Clemson. Meyer, who was named the new Jaguars coach last month, is expected to select the 2018 national champion who was coached by Swinney with the No. 1 overall choice in the draft.
Lawrence, in turn, noticed Meyer’s presence in training. “Yes, I saw him,” Lawrence told ESPN’s Rece Davis in a post-workout interview. “I just waited for him very quickly, obviously I can’t communicate here. But it was nice to see all the teams leaving.”
Lawrence’s long-awaited selection by the Jaguars apparently did not prevent 16 other franchises from attending the quarterback’s Pro Day, however. Among the other teams that were present: Patriots, Steelers, 49ers, Broncos, Chargers, Dolphins, Eagles, Giants, Lions, Raiders, Saints, Texans and Titans, Falcons, Jets and Panthers, according to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network.
Altogether, Lawrence stepped up on Friday because he is likely to be the No. 1 overall choice. Lawrence, who checked in on 6 ft-5 and 213 pounds with 10 inch hands, seemed to be in phenomenal shape when completing a series of passes and exercises without any noticeable fatigue. Lawrence’s precision was also on display as he popped a shotgun, as well as in the center. The strength of his arm, as you can see below, was another attribute that Lawrence exhibited on Friday.
“I was very pleased with that,” said Lawrence, assessing his own performance. “Obviously, like anything, you have some shots that I would like to go back and hit a little better on. But as a whole, I think it was a good day.”
Lawrence was the complete Clemson package. In three years with the Tigers, he completed 66.6% of his passes for 10,098 yards with 90 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He was also a double threat, running for 943 yards and 19 touchdowns. Despite running significantly less in 2020, Lawrence still ran for eight touchdowns last fall, while leading the Tigers for another appearance in the College Football Playoffs.
Lawrence conducted his Pro Day on Friday before his labrum surgery on his shoulder that didn’t shoot. Lawrence wants to have the surgery soon to be ready for training this summer. Lawrence talked about the injury and the Pro Day time after training.
“Obviously, I still have to keep talking to the doctors and see how the rehab is going, but I think I can add six to eight weeks after the surgery. And then, looking at a full four to five month authorization,” he said . “But obviously, I’ll be able to get things done before that. But I’m glad I’m not a shoulder to the back, so it shouldn’t be too bad. I just have to rehabilitate myself a lot and work hard to get back. But I’m just excited to fix it. that and start the road to getting healthy. “
According to Jordan Palmer, a former NFL defender who led Friday’s session, Lawrence wanted to have a professional day to show NFL teams that he “has nothing to hide”.
“For him, he could sit and say, ‘I’m not going to do this and here’s why,'” Palmer recently told Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated. “And you also have to understand where I come from, my brother [Carson] was the infallible choice # 1, no doubt, he played in the Senior Bowl and played on the combine, because, ‘Give me a ball. I’d love to compete. I have nothing to hide. I love to play. ‘
“Trevor is the same type of guy. He loves to compete, has nothing to hide, confident as they come and loves to do that. It’s very simple for him. It wasn’t even an argument.”
Along with Lawrence’s long-awaited selection, Meyer has a few pieces to work in Jacksonville. The current list of Jaguars includes several promising players, including running back James Robinson, receivers Laviska Shanault Jr., DJ Chark, Keelan Cole, point guard Andrew Norwell and central Brandon Linder, tackle Jawaan Taylor, forward K’Lavon Chaisson and DaVon Hamilton (who played for Meyer in Ohio) linebackers Josh Allen, Joe Schobert and Myles Jack, and cornerback CJ Henderson.
If selected by Jaguars, Lawrence will work with Jaguars’ new offensive coordinator, Darrell Bevell, and pass coordinator, Brian Schottenheimer. Bevell’s previous NFL experience includes time working with quarterbacks Brett Favre, Russell Wilson and Matthew Stafford. Bevell won a Super Bowl as the Seahawks’ offensive coordinator in 2013. Schottenheimer’s previous history with NFL quarterbacks includes time spent with Drew Brees, Philip Rivers, Mark Sanchez, Sam Bradford, Andrew Luck and, most recently, as the offensive coordinator of Wilson in Seattle.