NFL Network Analyst Names Travis Etienne as Jaguars' 'Pivotal' Rookie

Former Clemson star running back Travis Etienne needs to play an important role with the Jacksonville Jaguars to help quarterback Trevor Lawrence, according to NFL Network's Lance Zierlein.

The extent of Travis Etienne's impact in 2021 is unknown. 

After all, when the Jacksonville Jaguars made the former Clemson star running back the 25th overall pick of the 2021 NFL Draft, they already had a 1,000-yard rusher in James Robinson. 

New head coach Urban Meyer flirted with Etienne at receiver in mini-camp, and he had just one carry for two yards in the Jags' first preseason game. 

However, one analyst sees the ACC's all-time leading rusher needing to play a major role this fall to help first overall pick Trevor Lawrence, the former Clemson star quarterback. NFL Network's Lance Zierlein named Etienne as the Jacksonville representative in his recent look at the pivotal rookie for each of the 32 NFL teams. 

I’m not going to make the obvious selection of Trevor Lawrence for this spot so we can take a deeper look at the Jaguars’ draft class. Cornerback Tyson Campbell has all the traits and has generated some buzz this summer, but let’s not overthink it. Etienne is a slasher with very good power and he’s developed into quite a pass-catcher. His Clemson pedigree and ability to help on all three downs should give Lawrence an even better chance to succeed as a rookie. 

Etienne rushed for a school-record of 4,952 yards in his four-year Clemson career. He also added 1,155 receiving yards and scored a combined 78 touchdowns. Still, some draft pundits were surprised when the Jaguars used their second of two first-round picks to take a running back. 

But Meyer wanted to add explosiveness to his offense, and Etienne flashed plenty of that during his college days. 

Etienne will be back on the field Monday at 8 p.m. when Jacksonville visits the New Orleans Saints. 

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