Aside from the 2017 season, Shad Khan hasn’t had a lot of bright moments since acquiring the Jacksonville Jaguars as he’s only manage to garner a 41-106 record in his first nine years as owner. However, he hasn’t been able to stop smiling this week with the No. 1 overall pick in his possession.
Of course, the reason for that is because the team will use it to acquire Trevor Lawrence — and with that selection comes hope and optimism. The national spotlight will also come with the anticipation of Thursday’s draft, which is something every owner wants whether they admit it or not.
“We’re looking at hope, optimism,” Khan said according to the Associated Press. “I want to enjoy the moment. I want all the fans, all of us in Jacksonville, to enjoy this moment and our time in the national spotlight. If we have hope and we’re winning, obviously, that’s a lot better for the city and it’s a lot better for the Jags.”
Khan’s worst season as an owner took place last year, when the Jags went 1-15, good for the worst record in franchise history. However, with the misery of watching his team come up short week-after-week, came the No. 1 pick in a year where the best prospect since Andrew Luck was set to enter the draft. Now, Khan has a chance to address the position that is the hardest to find in the NFL: the franchise quarterback.
“It’s that one player [who] is the hardest thing to [find],” Khan added.
Of course, no player is guaranteed success and Lawrence will have to put in the work and prove himself in the NFL. However, he’s stepped to the plate every time he’s been asked, whether it was in high school, or replacing Deshaun Watson at Clemson. With that being the case, Khan has every reason to be optimistic as the odds feel like they are in Lawrence’s favor to translate one more time.