Jags make Lawrence Clemson’s first No. 1
Trevor Lawrence set many records during his time as Clemson’s quarterback.
On Thursday, Lawrence achieved another high-water mark for the program as the Jacksonville Jaguars took him with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. Lawrence becomes Clemson’s first No. 1 overall pick in football.
Before Thursday, the highest a Clemson football player ever went in the NFL Draft was No. 4. That mark was shared by Banks McFadden (1940), Gaines Adams (2007), Sammy Watkins (2014) and Clelin Farrell (2019).
ESPN’s Mel Kiper ranked Lawrence with his fourth-highest grade ever for a quarterback in the NFL Draft behind John Elway, Andrew Luck and Peyton Manning.
“He’s historic. He’s just not really good. He’s historically great,” Kiper said recently on an appearance on ESPN’s “Get Up” TV show. “And when you get a Trevor Lawrence, you have to believe his career, when it’s all over and said and done, will probably have a minimum of two to three Super Bowls that he at least plays in.”
There was little doubt that Lawrence was going to be the top pick in the draft once he announced he was leaving Clemson after his junior season.
New Jacksonville Jaguars coach Urban Meyer spoke on Adam Schefter’s podcast about what stood out about Lawrence during the various pre-draft interviews.
“All he ever talks about is winning. All he ever talks about is getting better. It’s not social media following. He’s not even going to the NFL Draft. You know there’s not a whole lot other in his life than his faith and his family,” Meyer said. “I’m intrigued by that, and winning. And also the guy gets married and everyone’s at his wedding and his players speak so highly of him.
“I’ve talked to many of his players on his team, obviously his coaches, but I always like to ask players too. Especially at that position. And you have to be a leader and you have to be respected or quarterbacks will fail. And he checked those boxes with big black check marks in his boxes.”
Lawrence was a five-star, can’t-miss prospect coming out of Cartersville High School in Georgia and committed to Clemson in 2016. He lived up to the hype during his college career, leading the Tigers to the 2019 national championship as a freshman and two more playoff appearances the next two years. The Tigers lost to Alabama in the 2020 national championship and in the semifinals to Ohio State this past season.