It's certainly a rare event in the NFL when a head coach more or less admits to the team's draft plan ahead of time, but Urban Meyer has never been one to care about convention. After a controversial start to his inaugural season with the Jacksonville Jaguars -- i.e., the hiring and immediate firing of Chris Doyle -- he's since shifted his focus to free agency and the upcoming draft, and the latter isn't exceedingly difficult to figure out in Jacksonville, at least not when it comes to whom the Jaguars will likely select with the No. 1 overall pick. It can be none other than Trevor Lawrence, barring Thanos' use of the Reality Stone in late April, and Meyer isn't shy about letting the world know that's who he wants.
"I'd have to say that's the direction we're going," Meyer told Peter King on "Football Morning in America", before carefully placing it back into the lap of Shad Kahn. "I'll leave that up to the owner when we make that decision official. But I'm certainly not stepping out of line that that's certainly the direction we're headed."
Subtle.
"Trevor checks all the boxes, you know?" Meyer added. "The number one common quality of every great player, not just quarterback, is competitive maniac. He's 34-2. Won a national title as a true freshman -- is a winner.
"I've seen him up close and in person, compete. And then character. I see him and I witness with my players, when the guys get drafted high, a lot of people get. ... They have influences in their lives.
"Like, whether it be social media, whether it be other things that really don't pertain to winning. What I'm really pleased with and I don't want to say surprised, but him, his agent, his family, they're focused on one thing. He wants to become the best version of himself for the National Football League, which is, well, it is somewhat refreshing."
And there it is: all doubt cast aside that the Jaguars are aiming their train squarely at Clemson University. It's a conclusion that was cemented by Meyer's absence at Zach Wilson's pro day at BYU, especially considering Wilson is often mocked in the top three and, at times, the top two. Meyer has eyes for only one QB in this draft, though, and that's Lawrence -- whom he'll stake his NFL reputation on going forward. But should things not work out well at the outset with the Jaguars, don't count on him doing his best Nick Saban impression.
Saban's last stretch in the NFL was as head coach of the Miami Dolphins, joining them for only two seasons before taking the reins as Alabama head coach in 2007 after suffering a 15-17 record. Given it's Meyer's first go at the pro level, some wonder if he'll high tail it back to the collegiate ranks if the Jaguars continue doing what the Jaguars have done for a long time now: lose.
"Zero chance at that happening," Meyer said. "What Coach Saban went through, I don't know. That's Coach Saban's business. I'm not quite sure. At some point, I might talk to him about it.
"... He's a friend of mine and I got great respect for him. It is different. It's completely different. My mind is set. There's gonna be some losses.
"... That's gonna be miserable. I hate losing. We all do. But the reality is that you're gonna lose. Hopefully you win more than you lose. But that's something that's gonna be new to me.
"I have to get my mind right and I'm working on that."
As it stands, to the surprise of absolutely no one, it'll be Lawrence helping him work on it.
