Since the Jacksonville Jaguars drafted Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence and Travis Etienne with their two first-round picks, it’s been hard to talk about one without mentioning the other. The duo won a national title together with the Tigers, and they’ll hope that success translates to the NFL.
Lawrence’s selection with the first-overall pick was long expected, but the Jags’ decision to take Etienne at No. 25 came as a little bit more of a surprise. But coach Urban Meyer liked the explosive playmaking Etienne demonstrated in college, and at a photoshoot for Panini America promoting his rookie card, the running back said he was ready to do the same in the NFL.
About to have the best rookie cards in the game! Check out behind the scenes of our shoot and to see some of my life in Jacksonville.
S/o @PaniniAmerica for the love. #RatedRookie pic.twitter.com/YXHNXZrdPB
— Travis Etienne Jr⁶𓅓 (@swaggy_t1) July 6, 2021
“I just can’t wait to provide big plays for Duval Nation,” Etienne said. “I feel like my first game is going to be very nerve-racking and I’ll be filled with so many emotions. Nerves will be all over the place but I feel like after the ball is kicked off, I get my first hit, and first tackle when they hit me one time, I will be great.”
The Jaguars hope that having a familiar target out of the backfield will aid in Lawrence’s development. The future franchise quarterback said that Etienne’s presence has been a huge plus when considering their bond.
“It’s been awesome having Travis here,” Lawrence said. “Obviously we have known each other for three years now, and being able to hang out, you know, outside of here but also just have a guy in the building that I have played with for the past three years, it just, you know, adds a little bit of comfort coming somewhere new and we are just really excited to do something great in Jacksonville.”
Though Etienne was used as Clemson’s primary running back, he’ll likely see a different role in the NFL. He’s projected to see action as a third-down back and should see a lot of targets in the passing game. Etienne discussed the adjustments he’s had to make in order to take on more receiver responsibilities.
“So now I am just like kind of learning real receiver routes, and having Trev here to go just do simple things as run routes outside and just kind of go over it by ourselves has really been great for me and really helped me just speed up that process,” Etienne said.
Jacksonville will hope the duo is a part of a lot of success in a Jaguars uniform as the franchise enters this new era.