He’s the one: Trevor Lawrence makes history as Jaguars draft Clemson QB first overall
Trevor Lawrence set many records during his time as Clemson’s quarterback.
On Thursday, Lawrence achieved another high-water mark for the program as the Jacksonville Jaguars took him with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. Lawrence becomes Clemson’s first No. 1 overall pick in football.
Before Thursday, the highest a Clemson football player ever went in the NFL Draft was No. 4. That mark was shared by Banks McFadden (1940), Gaines Adams (2007), Sammy Watkins (2014) and Clelin Farrell (2019).
“There has been so many great players to come through Clemson, so it is obviously special to me,” Lawrence said Thursday on being the program’s first No. 1 overall pick. “I don’t take it lightly. We kind of made history ever since I’ve been at Clemson, so it is awesome to be a part of that with coach [Dabo] Swinney and all my teammates.
“That is the plan moving on to Jacksonville is to do things that haven’t been done, continue to lead and do things the right way.”
Lawrence is scheduled to fly to Jacksonville on Friday for a news conference there.
He watched the news of his selection in Seneca, instead of in Cleveland at the NFL Draft site with other top picks. He was joined by 60 or so friends and family, including Swinney, diehard South Carolina fan Darius Rucker and an ESPN TV crew.
“He showed up here a great young man and just glad we have the opportunity to spend the last three years together,” Swinney said. “We knew this was a possibility, but it comes down to put the work day in and day out. It has been just a joy to watch that. This guy is incredibly disciplined and committed. It is a super cool moment to be a part of it a great moment for Clemson.
“There has been a lot of great things that happened at Clemson over the years and this is one of them. He led us to a 15-0 record, winningest quarterback in our school. It is a great moment for everyone.”
There was little doubt that Lawrence was going to be the top pick in the draft once he announced he was leaving Clemson after his junior season. ESPN’s Mel Kiper ranked Lawrence with his fourth-highest grade ever for a quarterback in the NFL Draft behind John Elway, Andrew Luck and Peyton Manning.
“He’s historic. He’s just not really good. He’s historically great,” Kiper said recently on an appearance on ESPN’s “Get Up” TV show. “And when you get a Trevor Lawrence, you have to believe his career, when it’s all over and said and done, will probably have a minimum of two to three Super Bowls that he at least plays in.”
New Jacksonville Jaguars coach Urban Meyer spoke on Adam Schefter’s podcast about what stood out about Lawrence during the various pre-draft interviews.
“All he ever talks about is winning. All he ever talks about is getting better. It’s not social media following. He’s not even going to the NFL Draft. You know there’s not a whole lot other in his life than his faith and his family,” Meyer said. “I’m intrigued by that, and winning. And also the guy gets married and everyone’s at his wedding and his players speak so highly of him.
“I’ve talked to many of his players on his team, obviously his coaches, but I always like to ask players too. Especially at that position. And you have to be a leader and you have to be respected or quarterbacks will fail. And he checked those boxes with big black check marks in his boxes.”
ESPN said on Thursday’s broadcast that Meyer and Lawrence has spent the last several weeks going over installation of the offense. Lawrence said he is eager to get started and working in his NFL career and earn the trust of his teammates before being handed the starting quarterback job.
“I am not expecting anyone to hand me anything,” Lawrence said. “I want to come in and earn the right to lead the team. That is what I am going to do and put the work in.”
Lawrence was a five-star, can’t-miss prospect coming out of Cartersville High School in Georgia and committed to Clemson in 2016. He lived up to the hype during his college career, leading the Tigers to the 2019 national championship as a freshman and two more playoff appearances the next two years. The Tigers lost to Alabama in the 2020 national championship and in the semifinals to Ohio State this past season.
Lawrence was 34-2 as a starter, setting a record for most wins as a Clemson starting QB and threw for 10,098 yards and 90 touchdowns.
Top Clemson NFL Picks
The highest selected Clemson football players in school history
2021: Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars, No. 1
2020: Isaiah Simmons, Arizona Cardinals, No. 8
2019: Clelin Ferrell, Oakland Raiders, No. 4
2017: Mike Williams, San Diego Chargers, No. 7
2015: Vic Beasley, Atlanta Falcons, No. 8
2014: Sammy Watkins, Buffalo Bills, No. 4
2010: C.J. Spiller, Buffalo Bills, No. 9
2007: Gaines Adams, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, No. 4
1982: Jerry Bryant, Seattle Seahawks, No. 6
1979: Jerry Butler, Buffalo Bills, No. 5
1949: Bobby Gage, Pittsburgh Steelers, No. 6
1940: Banks McFadden, Brooklyn Dodgers, No. 4
Clemson No. 1 picks
A list of top picks among all sports in Clemson history
2021: Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars, NFL
2020: Robbie Robinson, Inter Miami, MLS
1996: Kris Benson, Pittsburgh Pirates, MLB
This story was originally published April 29, 2021 at 8:26 PM.
