Trevor Lawrence not affected by pressure of being No. 1 pick for Jaguars
If No. 1 pick Trevor Lawrence is affected by the pressure, he doesn’t show it. The former Clemson Tiger has been nothing but calm, cool and collected since arriving to lead the Jacksonville Jaguars, almost to an eerie degree.
“We want him to be poised but have some urgency,” passing game coordinator Brian Schottenheimer told reporters. “He has been almost a little too relaxed.”
The Jaguars won the Lawrence lottery in 2021. It was well-known throughout the league that whichever team got the No. 1 pick would take the Trevor Lawrence, who finished second in the Heisman voting this past season.
The quarterback said the confident mentality is simply how he’s approached playing football his whole life. The new level of competition won’t change that.
“Being inside out, continuing to be me, taking everything I’ve learned and who I am, and taking it here,” Lawrence said at his introductory news conference. “Not changing anything, really, just because I’m in a new place. Think that’s why I’m here, that’s why all these guys put some trust in me, just to be who I am.”
Jeff Scott coached receivers at Clemson and is now the head coach at Sout Florida. He said that confidence has always been there with Lawrence.
“Here’s a guy who pretty much knew in eighth or ninth grade that he was going to be the number one pick in the NFL draft,” Scott said.
The 6-foot-6, 220 pound quarterback was the No. 1 overall prospect in the class of 2016, according to 247Sports. He began starting for the Tigers in his freshman season, leading them to a national championship victory that year.
Trevor Lawrence lost two games across three seasons at Clemson on his way to becoming the No. 1 pick. Compare that to Jacksonville, which has gone 12-36 in that same span. His arrival is a welcome sight for a franchise whose last three quarterbacks have been Gardner Minshew, Blake Bortles and Chad Henne.
Although Lawrence wants his mental approach to stay the same, the Jaguars have noted he needs to release the ball quicker. The quarterback said he is aware of that aspect of his game, but believes it will take time to develop.
“It’s easy to write something down in a meeting,” Lawrence told reporters after one practice, “but actually changing habits, that’s something that just takes time — muscle memory, and that’s what I’m trying to work on.”
His receivers don’t seem to mind. Lawrence holding on to the ball gives them time to run longer routes and results in bigger plays.
Laviska Shenault Jr. is reaping the benefits of some of those throws.
“He’s making a lot of throws that some guys can’t make right now,” Shenault said. “And those kinds of throws take time.”
Lawrence finished 6-of-9 for 71 yards in Jacksonville’s first preseason game against Cleveland. As his playing time increases we will get a better idea of how he is adjusting to the NFL.
But for now, it looks like the Jaguars could have their best quarterback in quite some time in No. 1 pick Trevor Lawrence.