Urban Meyer Knows 'Violence' and 'Speed' of Jaguars' Pick Travis Etienne
Urban Meyer has had relationships inside Clemson for a long time and has brought his friendship with Dabo Swinney full circle into the NFL.
Former Tigers Trevor Lawrence and Travis Etienne were selected No. 1 and No. 25, respectively, in the 2021 NFL Draft on Thursday. They're in a rare situation as a star college duo teaming up in Jacksonville so quickly.
"Well, I've known both these guys for a long time, maybe not personally but as someone involved in college football, recruiting and admired his play. Dabo and I go way, way back," Meyer said in Etienne and Lawrence's introductory press conferences Friday. So we've had some very good conversations about both Trevor and Travis, but it was really nothing I wasn't aware of because I saw firsthand, I saw the violence that (Etienne) plays with. The speed; and speed wins."
Running a 4.40 40-yard dash, Etienne showed that, despite what some called a "workhorse" career at Clemson, he still has plenty of miles in the tank left for the Jaguars.
"We were a team that really struggled with big-play hits last year," Meyer said. "Especially in the NFL, the opportunity to sustain ten, 12, 13-play drives; the percentages say that doesn't happen. So you need some hits, we didn't have it, and Travis has got that gift.
"He's got the gift of, if that guy touches the ball, there's a chance it's going (all the way). That's the biggest thing I looked at, and obviously the high quality, you know, I look forward to meeting with his family. That's always very important to me. Extremely high-quality family. Someone that's going to be here grinding, you know, that's really important to this organization as well."
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