Former Clemson QB Trevor Lawrence Puts On Impressive Display at Pro Day
Any doubts about who Jacksonville is going to take with the first overall pick in the upcoming draft should be silenced after Trevor Lawrence's workout for NFL scouts on Friday morning in Clemson.
Lawrence was impressive, hitting on almost every throw with laser-like precision, and did it mostly working from under center, something he rarely did during his collegiate career. Jaguars new head coach Urban Meyer had a front row seat to the action as he watched on with Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney, 10-feet away from the superstar quarterback.
ESPN's Reece Davis was impressed with the showing and says he thinks the addition of Lawrence will mean big things for the Jaguars organization.
"I think he's gonna be a generational quarterback," Davis said. "I think Jacksonville's fortunes are just about to change as soon as they call his name on April 29."
Lawrence was originally scheduled to work out for NFL scouts on March 11, but after it was discovered that he needed surgery on his non-throwing shoulder, the timeline for the pro day was moved up. It’s something Lawrence probably didn't have to do. However, anyone that has gotten familiar with Lawrence in recent years knows he's the ultimate competitor and he wanted to show teams that he is willing to adapt to any situation.
"Just to show that I'm no different from anybody else and still want to do the process the right way," Lawrence said after the workout. "Obviously, the original plan was to have two months training out in California then come back March 11 and put on a show and do all that, but life happens sometimes. So just having to adjust and showing them I'm able to adjust and adapt, and still willing to come out here and throw and give teams a chance to see me. That was that was important to me."
The former Clemson quarterback threw somewhere between 35 and 50 passes and hit on almost every one of them in front of representatives from 17 different NFL teams. ACC Network analyst E.J. Manuel says there is a whole to like when it comes to what Lawrence brings to the table.
"I just love the long throws, I love the ball placement," Manuel said. "Especially when he's moving in the pocket. That's something he's going to have to do a lot in the NFL, no matter how good your offensive line is. You're going to have these werewolves and pass rushers getting after you in the pocket, so for him to be mobile like that, be able to get the ball to his receivers in a catchable place, where they can get up the field and run, did an excellent job of displaying that."
One of the more impressive things Manuel saw from Lawrence was the touch on his deep balls, something that he thinks will fit the young quarterback well when he gets started in Meyer's offense in Jacksonville.
"Obviously the deep ball, Manuel said "That's something I know coach Urban Meyer is gonna be excited to kind of get into once they get the offense rolling next season, so this is a great day for Trevor."
