When the Jacksonville Jaguars selected quarterback Trevor Lawrence with the first overall pick almost a year ago, it was like the city could finally take a breath of fresh air. A franchise that had spent almost its entire history searching for a quarterback now had one of the best passing prospects ever.
Though the roster still had many deficiencies, there was some cautious optimism heading into the 2021 season. However, the team didn’t look much better than it did the year prior, finishing 3-14 with the first pick once again and firing first-year coach Urban Meyer in the process.
It was a lot to go through as a rookie, but running back Dare Ogunbowale, who saw a lot of playing time down the stretch with injuries to James Robinson and Carlos Hyde, praised Lawrence’s intangibles as a young player, especially in terms of leadership.
“I was definitely impressed by the way he led us,” Ogunbowale said. “Like I was just saying, it was a tough season for everybody and for that to be your rookie year to have to go through a season like this had to be a challenge. But he stayed positive and kept us positive and kept us confident.”
Lawrence finished the season completing just shy of 60% of his passes for 3,641 yards, 12 touchdowns, and 17 interceptions. He saved his best game for last, though, registering his highest completion percentage of the season while avoiding turnovers in an upset over the Colts that ended their playoff hopes.
Ogunbowale said that Lawrence handled the difficulties as well as any young quarterback could in that situation.
“I would say it’s understandable to watch any rookie struggle,” Ogunbowale said. “I don’t think necessarily just because of the hype or the expectations he had on him that changes anything. You go into a season expecting a rookie to find challenges, but I feel like he attacked those better than a lot of rookies I’ve seen. Like I said, it was a nightmare season to have for a rookie. To have to deal with the things that we dealt with, it was definitely tough. It had to be tough for him to deal with it, but he overcame it and was able to lead us. I’m looking forward to watching him in the future.”
While it wasn’t the season from Lawrence that fans hoped for, he certainly made some eye-popping plays that showed the level he’s capable of playing at. He’s made throws that no Jags quarterback could make in the past, and there’s no reason to be pessimistic about his future, even though he was put in a very bad spot as a rookie.
Adding talent for him in the passing game should be among the team’s top priorities this offseason, but for now, it’s clear that the young passer is one of the team’s vocal leaders, and that should be encouraging to Jags fans trying to find a reason to stay positive as the team is in the midst of its worst stretch in franchise history.