Jags HC Urban Meyer Helped Trevor Lawrence Decide Surgery and Pro-Day Dates

Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Urban Meyer said Monday he helped Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence decide on the dates for his pro-day throwing session, which took place Friday, and Tuesday's surgery to repair his non-throwing shoulder ahead of the 2021 NFL draft.

Meyer described his conversation with Lawrence, who's likely heading to the Jags with the first overall pick, on the NFL Network (via John Reid of the Florida Times-Union):

"We did a Zoom call with him, and I asked him—there are three choices you have. No. 1, you can wait until March 11 Pro Day—but now you are getting near August [for a recovery time]. That's getting late because it's a five-month recovery. It's a six-month injury. The second thing, you can not throw.

"He's probably a good enough player, but he said, 'I'm not doing that.' Third thing, I said why don't you just grab the ball and go throw for a little bit? I'd like to send our coordinator and passing-game coordinator to watch. They've never seen him. I've seen him, so he said, 'Let's go.'"

Lawrence has been the projected top pick in the 2021 draft pretty much since the moment he arrived to the Clemson campus as 247Sports' No. 1 prospect in the 2018 recruiting class.

He lived up to the hype across three years as the Tigers' starter. He completed 66.6 percent of his throws for 10,098 yards with 90 touchdowns and 17 interceptions in 40 appearances. He added 943 rushing yards and 18 scores on the ground.

A couple of other quarterbacks, including Ohio State's Justin Fields and BYU's Zach Wilson, made a push to take over the top spot, but it would be a shock if the Jaguars select anybody other than Lawrence when the draft kicks off April 29.

Meyer's close consultation with the signal-caller to ensure he's ready for at least some of training camp and the preseason further solidifies that expectation.

Lawrence confirmed he saw the Jacksonville coach at Friday's workout.

"Yeah, yeah. I saw him," he told ESPN with a smile. "I saw a lot of the guys coming through, but yeah, I saw him. Just waved at him real quick. Can't really communicate out there. But yeah, it's been cool to see all the teams come out. It's definitely a cool thing to experience. I'm glad I got to still do it."

The arrivals of Meyer, who posted an .854 winning percentage across 17 years as a college head coach, and likely Lawrence will give the Jags the foundation to begin turning things around after a three-year stretch when they posted a 12-36 record, including a 1-15 mark in 2020.

Jacksonville still has other roster needs, most notably the pass rush after ranking 31st with just 18 sacks last season, but no position is more important than quarterback, and it's set to add the most surefire prospect since Andrew Luck in 2012.

That's an ideal start as the franchise attempts to push its rebuilding efforts into overdrive this offseason.