Since the Jaguars took first overall choice in this year’s draft, it was a foregone conclusion that the club will use that selection in the Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence, a potentially generational talent. If you want even more evidence that Jacksonville will make Lawrence the first player to hear his name called when the draft starts on April 29, you have it.
Lawrence underwent surgery on his left shoulder (without throwing) yesterday, but to show his skills before going under the knife, he held an early professional day last Friday. And as John Reid of the Florida Times-Union writes, the new Jaguars coach Meyer Urbano it was fundamental to bring that professional day.
When he learned just over a week ago that Lawrence would need surgery, Meyer said he had received several calls from his future defender. “We made a call from Zoom to him and I asked him – you have three options. No. 1, you can wait until March 11 Pro Day – but now you’re getting close to August [for a recovery time], ” Said Meyer. “It is getting late because it is a five-month recovery. It’s a six-month injury. The second thing, you cannot play. “
Although Lawrence really had nothing to prove, he didn’t like the second option. He wanted to have a showcase, but agreed with Meyer that waiting until the March 11 business day – which would mean postponing surgery until after March 11 – would take his recovery very far in the summer. So, as Meyer said, “I said why don’t you just take the ball and play a little? I would like to send our coordinator and pass game coordinator to assist. They never saw him. I saw him, so he said, ‘Come on.’ “
Lawrence was predictably brilliant in his professional day, so even though the Jags had some doubts about his abilities, they probably wouldn’t have it now. Along with Meyer, offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell and coordinator of the passing game Brian Schottenheimer were present. Jacksonville is probably still a year or two away from the playoff contest, but the expectation is that having Lawrence in the center will speed up the team’s rebuilding a bit.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.