Trevor Lawrence still has a ways to go before Week 1.
And according to Jaguars coach Urban Meyer, that is just fine.
The No. 1 pick was drafted with the intention to become the franchise’s quarterback from day one. With OTAs and mandatory minicamp come and gone, Lawrence hasn’t yet been penciled in as the starter.
“He’s not ready yet, but he doesn’t have to be ready yet,” Meyer said to USA Today. “We got a long training camp coming up. He’s probably advanced maybe a little quicker than we would’ve thought, so which was a positive.”
At the beginning of his college career, Lawrence’s leadership on the field was questioned due to his quiet nature. After leading Clemson to three consecutive ACC playoffs and a national championship win, the expectations for Lawrence rose insurmountably.
According to Meyer, the fact that Lawrence is able to throw himself completely into football is what makes him such a successful player, and is why he is certain that the 21-year-old will get to where he needs to be.
“One of the most refreshing things is he’s worried about one thing — he’s married, he has no distractions, which is amazing to me. In 2021, the world’s about distractions and there is none with him. It’s our job to keep it that way,” Meyer said. “And his focus is on being a good husband, being strong in his faith and winning games — and that’s really cool.”
Over his three seasons, Lawrence completed 66.6% of his passes for 10,098 yards, 90 touchdowns and 17 interceptions.
However, at minicamp, Lawrence struggled with his passing in 7-on-7 drills. Throughout his whole career, his throws have been inconsistent, matching superb throws with ones that were missed or inaccurate.
Jacksonville offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell emphasized the necessity of not over-stressing rookie quarterbacks, even when there are real areas for improvement. This is especially important in Lawrence’s case, as he had shoulder surgery earlier this year and is still in the recovery period.
“It’s important for a new quarterback to be able to play fast, to not think — the game’s already hard enough as it is at that quarterback position, so you want them to have a great handle on the things that you’re asking ’em to do. If you overload ’em, then you can slow them down and you can stretch them down. So I think it’s important, like, how much can they handle.”