Trevor Lawrence Gives Timeline on Recovery from Surgery on Shoulder Injury

After throwing in front of NFL scouts on Friday, Trevor Lawrence provided a timeline for his recovery from upcoming shoulder surgery.  

Speaking to ESPN's Rece Davis (h/t ESPN's Jeremy Fowler), Lawrence said he expects to be cleared to throw within six to eight weeks with full clearance likely to come four to five months after the procedure. 

MGC Sports, which represents Lawrence, told reporters this week that the former Clemson star was holding his throwing showcase early in order to accommodate his surgery. 

Doctors discovered a labrum issue in Lawrence's non-throwing shoulder. 

No specific date was given for Lawrence's surgery, but it will take place at some point before the 2021 NFL draft begins on April 29. 

Lawrence opted to throw at an early Pro Day on the advice of Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Urban Meyer, per NFL Network's Jane Slate (h/t NFL.com's Chase Goodbread): 

"I (told) him there are three choices. No. 1, you can wait until the March 11 pro day, but now your (recovery) is getting near August, because it's a five- to six-month injury. The second (choice), you can not throw. He's probably a good enough player, he could've said 'I'm not doing it,' him and his agent. Or the third (choice), I said 'Why don't you just go grab a ball and throw for a little bit? ... And he said 'Let's go.' That was it. Next thing I know, we're here at a pro day that they put together (quickly). That's a guy that loves football and is confident in his ability."

It's unclear if the NFL will delay or cancel offseason programs for teams as it did last year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

ESPN's Kevin Seifert noted that the collective bargaining agreement between the NFL and NFL Players Association does allow teams with new head coaches to hold in-person offseason activities as early as April, but both parties "will need to weigh the value of those workouts, and later organized team activities (OTA) and minicamps, against the effort it would take to make them safe."

If there's anything close to a traditional offseason, Lawrence's timetable makes it unlikely he would take part in organized team activities immediately after the draft. He could be limited during training camp before receiving full clearance. 

Lawrence, 21, is widely believed to be going No. 1 overall to the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Tennessee native is coming off a successful three-year run at Clemson in which he won a national championship and three straight ACC titles, finished second in Heisman Trophy voting in 2020 and amassed a 34-2 record as a starter.