What Urban Meyer Likes Most About Trevor Lawrence Ahead of Their NFL Debuts

Urban Meyer and Trevor Lawrence are tied at the hip entering their NFL debuts. What does the Jaguars' head coach thinks makes his franchise quarterback ready to start winning games?

Sean Payton and Drew Brees. Bill Belichick and Tom Brady. Pete Carroll and Russell Wilson. Tony Dungy and Peyton Manning. 

All tied at the hip. All franchise quarterbacks who have been in lockstep with their head coach. All relationships that helped breed winning seasons and championships. 

That is the kind of relationship the Jacksonville Jaguars are hoping they will see blossom between first-year head coach Urban Meyer and rookie quarterback -- and No. 1 overall pick -- Trevor Lawrence. 

Meyer's and Lawrence's relationship began in the offseason during the lead-up to the draft, intensified when Lawrence became the Jaguars' selection, and then grew over minicamp, training camp, and the preseason. But on Sunday when the Jaguars kick off the 2021 season on the road against the Houston Texans, that relationship will take its biggest step yet.

So, with Meyer prepared to enter the Jaguars' new era with Lawrence on Sunday, where does Meyer see his quarterback standing today? What impresses him the most when it comes to the long-haired signal-caller who has an entire franchise and city's aspirations riding on him? 

To Meyer, it is simple. It goes beyond Lawrence's rocket arm strength. Beyond his ability to manipulate a pocket, read coverages, and fit a pass into a tight window where only his receiver can grab it. Instead, it goes back to who Lawrence is as a person, and the fact that Lawrence has been named as a team captain by his teammates even before his NFL debut. 

“Every game’s different, every team’s different, and I like our quarterback. The best thing I like about our quarterback [is] he rallies those around him," Meyer said on Friday. 

"He got, I believe, number three in the vote getting of the captains. That tells you a little bit about [him]. I’ve been around not many, but some quarterbacks, players just are okay with them and this guy, they rally around him. I know I see it, but then to physically see the voting, that was pretty cool.”

Lawrence isn't expected to face a fierce foe in his NFL debut, nor is Meyer. As for Lawrence, the Texans' defense is lacking in both talent and imagination to move the quarterback too far off his spots on a consistent basis. 

As for Meyer, he will be leading the Jaguars against a team that is expected to finish not just in dead last of the AFC South, but in the entire NFL.

But history is working against both, to a degree. With a victory, Lawrence would join Sam Darnold (2018), Marcus Mariota (2015), Robert Griffin III (2012) and Andy Dalton (2011) as the only rookie QBs to win in Week 1 on the road since 2010.

He would also become the fifth quarterback drafted first overall to win his first career start since the common draft era (1967-present). The last quarterback selected with the first pick to win his first career start was David Carr with the Texans in 2002. The previous 25 before Lawrence are a combined 4-20-1 in their first career starts.

But Meyer sees a quarterback who is wise beyond his years in Lawrence. A rookie quarterback rarely has the maturity of Lawrence nor the experience at the college level as a winner. 

And that is why Meyer likes the most about his -- about the Jaguars' -- quarterback.

“It’s all about preparation. He’s a very aware guy, so no, that hasn’t even come up, just getting him ready to play. He’s very well aware of what this means," Meyer said on Friday.