5 Things To Watch at Jaguars Rookie Minicamp
For the next three days, the Jacksonville Jaguars will at long last have a sense of normalcy -- and at long last have their franchise quarterback inside the building.
The Jaguars will be holding their rookie minicamp from May 14-16, giving us our first look at the Jaguars' nine-player draft class, undrafted free agents, and more.
So with the minicamp set to take place, along with some on-field activities on Saturday, what are the biggest storylines to track? We break down five here.
Trevor Lawrence's first Jaguars' "practice"
With Trevor Lawrence set to participate in the Jaguars' rookie minicamp a few months after he had labrum surgery on his non-throwing shoulder, it will be interesting to see exactly what the Jaguars ask him to do. He can't be expected to press himself too much since it is a minicamp after all, and he isn't expected to be full speed ahead.
With that said, Lawrence at least being on the field is a good sign for his prospects of being healthy for the start of training camp. Plus, Lawrence donning a red No. 16 jersey and the Jaguars helmet will give Jaguars' supporters a chance to once again pinch themselves to remind them that Lawrence is indeed their quarterback.
How Urban Meyer organizes the workouts
One of the most notable quotes from Urban Meyer's introductory press conference in mid-January revolved around how Meyer is going to approach the role of being a head coach. This weekend will be Meyer's first chance to be that coach at the NFL level, the head figurehead.
As Meyer put it, "I will be the head coach, but I’m going to hire great coaches that are going to be expected to do their job. I’m not going to be running around like a nut on the practice field, those days are gone. I’m certainly going to—I know what it’s supposed to look like and I want to be very demanding of everyone."
Every coach organizes their practices and minicamps differently, so it will be fascinating to see how Meyer puts together his first practice as an NFL head coach -- especially when we will be able to compare it to his future practices down the road.
Offensive, defensive schemes taking first steps
Jacksonville will have two radically different schemes this season. They will be going from Gruden's scheme to one that is a mesh of Meyer, offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell, and passing game coordinator Brian Schottenheimer. On defense, they will be running a different defense than the Seattle Seahawks-inspired 4-3 scheme for the first time since 2013. Now, former Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Joe Cullen will be taking elements of Baltimore's multifaceted scheme to Jacksonville.
The Jaguars will take much, much bigger steps toward installing their new schemes than the ones they are set to take this weekend. But these next few days will be the first chance for the new staff to really begin to instill the principles and philosophies that will define both sides of the ball.
Wide receivers galore
The Jaguars waited until the sixth round to draft a wide receiver, but that doesn't mean this weekend won't still offer some exciting looks at rookie receivers. There is Georgia Tech receiver Jalen Camp, Jacksonville's final selection of the 2021 NFL Draft, but then there are a few names behind him worth monitoring all the way through training camp in Josh Imatorbhebhe and Tim Jones.
Imatorbhebhe is one of the league's most fascinating undrafted free agents, According to Pro Football Reference, Imatorbhebhe's 46.5-inch vertical jump would be a combine record, breaking the previous record of 46 inches recorded by set by then-North Carolina safety Gerald Sensabaugh in 2005. Meanwhile, Jones recorded a 40-inch vertical jump and has a relative athletic score of 9.03. It is going to be tough for any receiver to make it onto Jacksonville's roster due to the current pieces in place, but these will be three players who should be watched all weekend.
First exposure to draft class: How much will Travis Etienne, Tyson Campbell, Walker Little, and others do?
While Trevor Lawrence is the obvious headliner due to his status as the No. 1 overall pick and as a quarterback prodigy, there are still a number of other rookies that fans and coaches alike are likely ecstatic to see on the field, even in a limited capacity like a rookie minicamp.
Will we see Travis Etienne catch any passes? Where will the Jaguars put Tyson Campbell? How will Walker Little look now that he is back in a football environment? Then there are the storylines following Jay Tufele reuniting with Urban Meyer and being taught by Tosh Lupoi and Jordan Smith's speed off the edge.
