Trevor Lawrence just gave a rising Jaguars rookie a major endorsement

While the Jacksonville Jaguars caught lots of heat for most of their picks in their 2026 draft class, they earned major praise for taking Emmanuel Pregnon in Round 3, mostly because he was slated to go in the second round but ended up slipping.

Fast forward to training camp, and Pregnon appears to have seized the starting job at left guard. While he has his work cut out, he just got a ringing endorsement from Trevor Lawrence.

Trevor Lawrence recognizes the Jaguars have a keeper in Emmanuel Pregnon

Trevor Lawrence met with reporters after Day 20 of training camp. He heaped praise on Emmanuel Pregnon, arguing that he's still a rookie but has done a superb job of getting ready to play.

"I think he's done an awesome job. He plays hard. I mean, he's huge, strong. You can tell he cares. Like he plays super hard," Lawrence told reporters (16:41 mark). "That's the first thing you notice. And then mentally, it's not been too much for him. You know, obviously he is a rookie, and there's still a lot to learn, and there's looks every day that you can teach off of, but he's not lost at all. He knows what he's doing."

Lawrence, "There's a lot of play that we can clean up, but as far as knowing what he's doing and playing hard, he's got that down. I think he's protected well. He's been moving people in the run game. He's athletic. He's done an awesome job. So I think we got a bunch of guys up front that can play and play well, and I love what I'm seeing from Emmanuel."

In the aftermath of the 2026 draft, Pregnon was dubbed a steal. Mostly because of his immense power and size, he was projected to eventually become a starter. The scouting report turned out to be right.

Pregnon mostly practiced with the backup early in training camp. However, he began to get first-team reps when Ezra Cleveland switched to right guard.

It's worth noting that Cleveland moved to the right side because Patrick Mekari has been unavailable and Wyatt Milum wasn't able to show he was a capable replacement. If he had come through, there's a strong chance Pregnon wouldn't have joined the starting lineup.

You may also like: 5 biggest winners and losers from Jaguars training camp

The Jaguars have an intriguing talent in Emmanuel Pregnon

Of course, things could change down the road, but Emmanuel Pregnon seemingly has done enough to get the starting nod. He showed massive upside in Week 1 of the preseason, posting a Pro Football Focus overall grade of 74.0.

On the other hand, Pregnon blew a block in the same game. It showed that he does have his work cut out for him, but if the team weren't confident he can deliver, he wouldn't have been plugged into the lineup.

Like most first-year players, Emmanuel Pregnon will go through growing pains, but if he can keep improving, it will be a matter of time before he becomes a mainstay of the Jaguars offensive line.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow