Trevor Lawrence is 'once in a generation' talent for Jaguars
CLEMSON — Trevor Lawrence did not need long to make a major impact on his newest teammates in the NFL.
After spending three years at Clemson, Lawrence heard his name called No. 1 overall in the 2021 NFL Draft as the Jacksonville Jaguars and new head coach Urban Meyer are depending on the former five-star recruit to lead the AFC South franchise to the promised land.
The early tests have been passed as some veteran teammates like what the young player brings to the table.
“Trevor’s got an arm, a once in a generation arm,” said Jaguars linebacker Joe Schobert on SiriusXM NFL Radio. “And if he can put it together upstairs mentally the rookie season in the NFL, which is always, as a quarterback, the hardest thing to do — we’ll be very successful if we can get all that accomplished.”
The sixth-year pro out of Wisconsin, Schobert recorded 141 tackles and three interceptions last year in his first season in Jacksonville. A leader of the defense, the middle linebacker was impressed with the minicamp performance of the young phenom. Lawrence checks a lot of boxes for the Jaguars.
“He’s a great guy,” Schobert said. “Just talking to him briefly between meetings and on the football field and the walkout there. He’s impressed me with his poise and his confidence just coming in. As a rookie coming into the NFL, I know I definitely wasn’t that confident.”
That confidence is something Clemson was used to. Lawrence led the Tigers to an undefeated season and a national championship as a true freshman. The Metro Atlanta native went on to never lose an ACC game in three years while leading Dabo Swinney and the Tigers to the College Football Playoff each year. Lawrence finished his collegiate career with 10,908 passing yards and 90 passing touchdowns with just two career losses. The performance in college is what helped Lawrence earn the No. 1 overall pick.
Trevor Lawrence was 34-2 as a starter at Clemson. (Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
Now the rookie has a signed contract for $36.8 million over four years with $24.1 million guaranteed. The newcomer is getting paid like a premium performer without ever playing a down in the NFL. However, his offseason work has folks inside the Jaguars organization very excited about the future. Lawrence brings something different to the table as the Jaguars could become a sleeper sooner rather than later in the AFC South.
“He comes in with a certain poise, certain caliber,” said Schobert.