QB Trevor Lawrence will benefit from having no distractions

Quarterback Trevor Lawrence had a pretty good collegiate career and was even labeled as a generational talent ahead of the 2021 NFL Draft. For that reason, it wasn’t surprising to see the Jacksonville Jaguars chose him with the top pick. In fact, it seems like they made up their mind early on, and the chances of selecting someone else were slim to none. Head coach Urban Meyer recently opened up about the thought process behind the selection of the former Tiger.

Meyer had a sitdown with Makenzie Salmon of USA Today Sports and said that being close with Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney helped him gain insight into Lawrence. Also, the Jags head coach notes that he had seen the quarterback up close and in person several times. During the conversation with Salmon, he says that being married might help Lawrence stay focused.

"I think one of the most refreshing things as he’s worried about one thing, he’s married. He has no distractions, which is amazing to me, you know I’m in 2021, the world’s about distractions and there’s none with him."

Meyer says that it’s the team’s job to keep it that way and Lawrence’s focus is on “being a good husband, being strong in his faith, and winning games”.  Here’s the whole clip if you want to watch it. If it doesn’t play, you can click here.

The Jacksonville Jaguars knew Trevor Lawrence was their pick.

Salmon asked Meyer if Lawrence is ready to start in Week 1 and he said that the rookie quarterback isn’t ready. However, he notes that he doesn’t have to be yet. He points out that training camp still hasn’t taken place and adds that he’s probably advance a little faster than the team’s brass originally thought. Later, Meyer compliments Lawrence for his work ethic and his ability to retain information.

"One thing that we worked on when we made a decision that Trevor was going to be our number one pick, we went from the evaluation stage to preparation stage… I can’t remember the exact date but we started installing the playbook within well before the draft and so you can see the retention."

Meyer was asked before the draft if Lawrence was going to be the Jaguars’ pick. Even though he never confirmed it, he didn’t deny it either and even said that the team was leaning towards selecting him. Then again, it’s not as if they had any significantly better choices. Fellow quarterback Zach Wilson will probably develop into a solid pro but Lawrence might have the higher ceiling of the two. Offensive tackle Penei Sewell and tight end Kyle Pitts will also have a bright future in the NFL but neither one was worth being drafted first overall.

Even though Lawrence has been slowed down by a hamstring injury, he’s been having a solid offseason. He hasn’t experienced any setbacks from the surgery he had performed on his non-throwing shoulder earlier this year. The fact he has no distractions as Meyer suggested will also help him be ready for Week 1. He’s never been known as the party kind and that won’t change in Jacksonville.

Trevor Lawrence will be under the microscope because he was the first overall pick in the draft. He will be scrutinized for every slipup he has on the way but he knows that comes with the territory and he embraces it. Also, the Jaguars believe he’s up to the challenge. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have drafted him.