Urban Meyer: Jaguars ‘headed’ in direction of drafting Trevor Lawrence

Trevor Lawrence of the Clemson Tigers looks to pass in the third quarter against the Ohio State Buckeyes during the College Football Playoff semifinal game at the Allstate Sugar Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Superdome on January 01, 2021 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) (Kevin C. Cox, 2021 Getty Images)

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – It certainly sounds like Urban Meyer’s mind is made up on who the Jaguars are targeting in next month’s NFL draft.

Not that it’s much of a surprise.

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In an interview with NBC Sports Peter King, Meyer raved about Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence. He’s one of the most highly touted quarterback prospects in years. The Jaguars have the No. 1 pick in the draft and have been universally linked to Lawrence just about from the start of the 2020 season.

“Uh, I’d have to say that’s the direction we’re going,” Meyer said to King. “I’ll leave that up to the owner when we make that decision official. But I’m certainly not stepping out of line that that’s certainly the direction we’re headed.”

Everyone knows that Jacksonville is zeroed in on Lawrence. But to hear Meyer speak about it in the lead up to the draft was a change up. Teams seldom talk about specific prospects in great detail .

Jacksonville finished 1-15, edging out the Jets (2-14) for the league’s worst team last year.

That terrible finish led to a franchise reset, with owner Shad Khan firing general manager Dave Caldwell during the season and coach Doug Marrone right after it wrapped up.

That led to the splashy hiring of Meyer, the former Florida and Ohio State coach, to help remake the franchise. Drafting Lawrence is the start of that.

Meyer was up close at Lawrence’s Pro Day and Clemson last month and very visible. He remarked after that just how well Lawrence performed there, saying the ball just sounds different leaving his hand.

“Trevor checks all the boxes, you know?” Meyer said to King.

“The number one common quality of every great player, not just quarterback, is competitive maniac. He’s 34-2. Won a national title as a true freshman. Is a winner. I’ve seen him up close and in person compete. And then character. I see him and I witness with my players, when the guys get drafted high, a lot of people get ... They have influences in their lives. Like, whether it be social media, whether it be other things that really don’t pertain to winning. What I’m really pleased with and I don’t want to say surprised, but him, his agent, his family, they’re focused on one thing. He wants to become the best version of himself for the National Football League, which is, well, it is somewhat refreshing.”


About the Author:

Justin Barney joined News4Jax in February 2019, but he’s been covering sports on the First Coast for more than 20 years.