View from the O-Zone: Lawrence is really, really here Apr 29, 2021 at 09:40 PM Copied! Tony Dejak/Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell holds a Jacksonville Jaguars jersey as he announces that the Jaguars had chosen Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence with the first pick in the NFL football draft, Thursday April 29, 2021, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)
JACKSONVILLE – Breathe easy, Duval.
It s here. It s real. Really.
The Jaguars shortly after 8 p.m. Thursday used the No. 1 selection in the 2021 NFL Draft on quarterback Trevor Lawrence, making official what pretty much every analyst and every NFL observer has assumed since the team clinched that first overall selection last December.
Brian Blanco/Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved Clemson running back Travis Etienne (9) runs for a touchdown during the first half of the Atlantic Coast Conference championship NCAA college football game, Saturday, Dec. 19, 2020, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Brian Blanco)
JACKSONVILLE – The Jaguars felt they needed speed.
Travis Etienne didn t know for sure that that would mean a chance to join his college teammate. He did know for sure that he hoped that would be the case. I was secretly rooting for Jacksonville, he said.
Etienne got his wish late Thursday when the Jaguars selected the Clemson University running back No. 25 overall in the 2021 NFL Draft. The selection reunited Etienne with his college teammate, quarterback Trevor Lawrence, selected by the Jaguars No. 1 overall three hours earlier.
JACKSONVILLE – Family matters. A lot, actually.
We re talking about the cornerback position, where family and bloodlines have taken on a particular importance in the 2021 NFL Draft. You ve got a lot of legacy candidates, NFL Media and Jaguars Media analyst Bucky Brooks said.
Four of the 21 draft s top cornerback prospects – Patrick Surtain II of Alabama, Jaycee Horn of South Carolina, Asante Samuel Jr. of Florida State and Elijah Molden of Washington – are sons of former NFL players: former NFL cornerback Patrick Surtain II, former NFL wide receiver Joe Horn, former NFL cornerback Asante Samuel and former NFL cornerback Alex Molden.
Darrell from Fernandina Beach, FL
John, I fail to understand Owner Shad Khan s reluctance to say who the Jaguars are drafting No. 1 unless it s not Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence. I know they don t have to; however, I see no strategic or tactical advantage not to. What I do see is a fan base that wants to know and some are filled with angst. For a front office that wants the best for us, why not tell us? The most important decision this franchise will make, though true, is tired and about a month too old. Why so coy?
I wonder if perhaps you and others have lost perspective over this in the excitement of the moment.