Pro Day Review: Trevor Lawrence throws for NFL teams
All eyes were on Trevor Lawrence at his personal Pro-Day workout Friday, which included several NFL scouts in attendance.
NFL teams represented included the Atlanta Falcons, Denver Broncos, Jacksonville Jaguars, Los Angeles Chargers, Miami Dolphins, New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers. Lawrence was clearly the headline draw, but the workout also included his two top targets from this past season, wide receivers Amari Rodgers and Cornell Powell, who are also eligible for the 2021 draft. The Jaguars, who are expected to select Lawrence with the No. 1 overall pick April 29, were on location with new head coach Urban Meyer, offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell and passing game coordinator Brian Schottenheimer.
Orchestrating the workout was Jordan Palmer, a familiar face on the draft circuit, who has trained quarterbacks such as Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen and Joe Burrow in previous years. The quarterback guru put Lawrence through a fast-paced workout, showing off his ability to throw all the different route concepts. Lawrence appeared to be in excellent physical shape, as he rarely broke a sweat during the Pro-Day.
The consensus No. 1 quarterback showed many positives on Friday, throwing with touch and showcasing his ball velocity on various throws. He had his timing down pat with his former teammates, but that doesn't mean it's guaranteed. He was hitting his receivers in stride, as well as providing them room to run underneath his deeper throws. One of Lawrence's best traits is his ability to move around in the pocket and throw on the run, which was at the forefront of his Pro Day.
Lawrence showed great fluidity with his feet and hips being in sync, he was always square when delivering the ball and rarely missed a throw due to his fundamentally sound footwork and mechanics. His drop-backs are smooth and contained, with no signs of overstepping or being off-balance.
After the workout was over, Lawrence caught up with ESPN’s Rece Davis to discuss the timeline of his recovery.
“Obviously I’ve got to still continue talking to the doctors and see how the rehab goes, but I think I can throw in six-to-eight weeks after the surgery. And then looking at a four-to-five-month full clearance,” Lawrence said. “But obviously, I’ll be able to do stuff before then. But just glad it’s the non-throwing shoulder, so shouldn’t be too bad. Just got to rehab really hard and work hard to get back. But I’m just excited to get that fixed and start that road to getting healthy.”
While the exact moment he suffered the injury is unknown, we have some idea of when it may have occurred. According to NFL insider Albert Breer, Lawrence first banged up his labrum two years ago during his sophomore season with the Clemson Tigers. After sustaining the injury in a Week 2 matchup with Texas A&M in 2019, the QB toughed it out for the remainder of his collegiate career. The injury was reportedly re-aggravated at some point during the 2020 season.
This surgery is really the only knock on Lawrence’s draft stock — and a minor one at that. In his three-year Clemson career, the 6-foot-6, 225 lbs QB only missed two games (both with COVID-19 earlier this year).
In order for NFL quarterbacks to be successful at the next level, they need to be able to throw into tight windows, as the ability to create separation is difficult for many receivers. The Cartersville High School product has shown he can throw with tremendous accuracy, which he demonstrated consistently throughout his three-year Clemson career. That innate ability showed up once again on this day.
Next up for Lawrence will be shoulder surgery on his labrum in his non-throwing arm, which is expected to be followed by an 11-week recovery process. However, doctors are confident he will be ready to go for the start of training camp. The main reason for the private workout was so Lawrence could have the procedure done and be recovered in time to go to work by August.
The 2021 NFL Draft is set to take place April 29 through May 1 in Cleveland, Ohio.
