Jaguars' HC Urban Meyer Not in Attendance for Trey Lance's Pro Day
While representatives from 30 NFL teams lined up to watch North Dakota State University quarterback Trey Lance go through his pro day on Friday, Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Urban Meyer was on the other side of the country soaking in rays of the Florida sun and outlining his team's offseason plans.
With North Dakota State holding its pro day in Fargo, ND. on Friday, Meyer was instead holding court at The Players Championship in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL., going over his team's plans for the offseason.
In the most telling act yet of what Jacksonville's priorities are when April 29 rolls around, Meyer didn't even have to mention Lance or even Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence's name. With the Jaguars holding the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, it has been clear throughout the offseason that all signs point to Lawrence, with Friday serving as another example.
A month ago, Meyer was a key fixture at Lawrence's pro day at Clemson. He stood just yards from him as he went through the entire workout, either speaking with Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney or watching every one of Lawrence's detailed movements.
Meyer went as far as to describe the ability to be there in person to scout a quarterback as an important task when asked about Lawrence's pro day on Tuesday.
"Watching a guy throw, especially throw, on video tape, it’s not the same. I made the comment you want to hear it leave his hand, listen to it go by you, and to me, I don’t know how you evaluate a quarterback without doing that," Meyer said Tuesday. "So, I thought he did great. We’ve had a couple Zoom calls with him and he’s been great, and we like where we’re at with him.”
Three days after making these comments, Meyer was over 1,500 miles away from Lance's 66-throw workout for teams. The Jaguars will undoubtedly scout Lance, but it is telling that Meyer was present for Lawrence's pro day and not Lance's. It isn't a surprise, since Lawrence has long been the projected top pick, but it does take away some guesswork.
"We've had, probably, I think three guys are out today. I am going to certainly go to a few more too," Meyer said about pro days when asked by Mia O'Brien of First Coast News.
The Jaguars have reportedly met with BYU's Zach Wilson via Zoom, so it will be interesting to see if Meyer is present for either his or Justin Fields' pro day.
But for now, we know just how important it is to Meyer to see a quarterback throw in person. And now, we know that the one quarterback he has done this for has been Lawrence, who the Jaguars have met with virtually multiple times.
"It couldn’t have gone better. I think I made the comment we had high expectations going into it, like really high. I’ve seen him throw before. I really wanted [Offensive Coordinator] Darrell Bevell and [Passing Game Coordinator] Brian Schottenheimer to witness it," Meyer said about Lawrence's pro day.
