Jaguars HC Urban Meyer Explains His Strategy at Trevor Lawrence's Pro Day
Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Urban Meyer didn't take a backseat when it came to Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence's Pro Day last month.
He didn't quietly pace the sideline with the rest of the NFL personnel as the projected top pick threw roughly 50 times for representatives from over two dozen teams, almost all of whom know they won't have a chance to draft Lawrence.
Instead, Meyer stood just a few yards away from Lawrence on the field, speaking to Lawrence's college head coach Dabo Swinney and intensely watching every single move Lawrence made.
Meyer would later go on to pile praise onto Lawrence for conducting a throwing session even though he was already the projected top pick. But he never then explained exactly what his strategy was in being just a few short yards away from Lawrence for the entirety of the workout, the only NFL personnel member to do so.
Well, Meyer has now cracked the mystery himself in an interview with Jaguars.com and Jaguars senior writer John Oehser.
"Dabo Swinney and I have been close for 15 years. Jordan Palmer, who works with Lawrence, I'm very close with. I was talking to them. I do like to get very close to a quarterback and hear," Meyer explained.
While teams can gather many of the important details of a player's game from film, there are aspects one can't evaluate when watching a player on a screen. The human element of the game and the position are all major factors, and as a result you will often see coaches want to see quarterbacks in person when evaluating them.
Now, Meyer has already seen Lawrence in person before, but his pro day gave one more opportunity to evaluate Lawrence before he underwent surgery on his non-throwing shoulder the following week.
"You say, "Hear what?" I want to hear that ball leave his hand. I want to hear that ball go by my head. I do the same thing at practice," Meyer said.
But that wasn't all of it. Meyer also wanted Lawrence to know he was just behind him, watching every muscle movement and flick of the wrist. Noting every cadence and act of footwork. Meyer's presence was noticeable for all of those watching Lawrence throw at home, so it must have been immensely noticeable for Lawrence himself.
While Lawrence is an extremely level-headed person who is preparing for the draft like anything can happen, he likely knows as well as anyone that his soon-to-be head coach was the person with a fixed stare on him from not more than five to seven yards award.
"And I do want him to know we're right there. You'll see me do that with our kickers, too. I'm going to get real close to them. Life's about how you can respond to pressure," Meyer said.
The Jaguars hold the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, with the first round taking place on April 29. It is the first time the Jaguars have ever held the draft's top pick, and the team is universally expected to draft Lawrence after three standout years at Clemson.
Lawrence is 34-2 as a starter, having only lost in the College Football Playoffs (as a sophomore, to LSU in the Championship and as a junior to Ohio State in the semifinals). As a freshman, Lawrence defeated the Alabama Crimson Tide for the National Championship.
In his career, Lawrence completed 66% of his passes for 10,098 yards (8.9 yards per attempt, 9.8 adjusted yards per attempt) for 90 touchdowns and 17 interceptions. He also rushed for 943 yards and 18 touchdowns.
Lawrence isn't perfect, but his blend of size, arm talent, play-making ability, and high-level processing skills make a genuinely great quarterback prospect. He is widely considered the best quarterback prospect since Andrew Luck in 2012, or is at the very least in the conversation. PFF recently revealed Lawrence is their top overall graded prospect of the last seven drafts as well.
