5 reasons for Jaguars fans to be optimistic in 2021

1. The Jacksonville Jaguars have a franchise quarterback at last.

This last reason for optimism is the most obvious and has been since December 20, 2020, when the New York Jets pulled off the unthinkable. They defeated the Los Angeles Rams to present the Jaguars with the early Christmas gift of the number one overall pick in 2021’s draft, quarterback Trevor Lawrence.

All reports out of the Jags’ organized team activities and voluntary workouts suggest everything is going according to plan and that Lawrence will be what most think he is, the franchise quarterback this team has been longing for since the days of Mark Brunell. Nevertheless, it is critical to remember he’s a rookie. No matter how great we expect him to become, the Clemson product will struggle at times this season. He is joining a 1-15 football team with a head coach with no prior NFL experience. He has even had a few practices where he’s struggled.

But players in the locker rooms continue to rave about his ability to play the quarterback position, the most recent being cornerback Shaquill Griffin, who spoke to the local media about the former Tiger. “I feel like the main thing I’ve been seeing is he’s very explosive, so when the ball is out, it’s out”. The 2017 third-round pick added that even when he’s out on the sideline, he’s seen Lawrence spread the ball to different receivers.

Griffin believes it’s insane to see what Lawrence can already do, especially so early in his career. Also, he thinks the Jaguars’ rookie quarterback will be able to meet the expectations.