At this point, it would be stunning if the Jacksonville Jaguars took anyone but Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence with the No. 1 pick of the 2021 NFL draft.
Peter King talked to new Jaguars head coach Urban Meyer for his Football Morning in America column and asked the former Ohio State and Florida leader if the AFC South team will take Lawrence with that top pick.
"Uh," Meyer said. "I'd have to say that's the direction we're going. 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."
Meyer also opened up about what he likes about Lawrence:
"Trevor checks all the boxes, you know? 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 live. 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."
That doesn't sound like a coach ready to draft anyone else, even if there are Ohio State connections in place between Meyer and Justin Fields.
It's hard to argue against what Lawrence did at the collegiate level. The 2020 Heisman Trophy runner-up won a national championship and reached two more College Football Playoffs in three years as a starter.
He completed 66.6 percent of his passes for 10,098 yards, 90 touchdowns and 17 interceptions while adding 943 yards and 18 touchdowns on the ground during his career with the Tigers.
There has been little doubt that he would be the No. 1 pick of the 2021 NFL draft dating back to before the 2020 college football season even started.
This is a critical pick for the Jaguars. They are starting a new era with Meyer, but their success will likely fall on Lawrence's shoulders. They missed as an organization when they selected Blake Bortles with the No. 3 pick of the 2014 draft, which prevented them from fully taking advantage of a championship-level defense.
If Lawrence lives up to expectations, Jacksonville could win its first Super Bowl in franchise history in the next decade.
