The Jacksonville Jaguars became the first team in NFL history to select a quarterback and a running back from the same school in the first round of the common-draft era. Jacksonville selected Trevor Lawrence with the No. 1 overall pick and Travis Etienne at No. 25, reuniting the pair of Clemson teammates.
Drafting a running back in the first round these days appears to be a stretch, especially the way Jaguars head coach Urban Meyer plans to use Etienne. Keep in mind the Jaguars have James Robinson and Carlos Hyde on their roster.
"I see Carlos and James the 1-2, downhill, powerful running backs," Meyer said. "And I see Travis -- there's times where we could be in two-backs and Travis is a guy that goes out. Or we're still playing with it, but he's certainly a third-down back and he's a guy that's a matchup issue for the defense."
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Etienne is the third-down back? This all depends on how Meyer plans to use a third-down back and split the carries, along with the offensive scheme he tries to run. Etienne should compete for carries immediately in Jacksonville given his college resume. He is the ACC's all-time leader in rushing yards (4,952), scrimmage yards (6,107), rushing touchdowns (70), and scrimmage touchdowns (78).
So why can Etienne fit as a third-down running back and contribute immediately? Etienne has 1,020 receiving yards over the last two seasons -- the most in FBS by a running back.
The Jaguars are determined to make Lawrence successful. The best way to do that is to bring in a familiar face.
"We had the conversation. 'How do you get a guy successful?' Have a very strong run game,''' Meyer said. "We had a chance to go with this -- Travis. I've had some good fortune over the years to have a guy that can do both, flex out. He's as good outside as a receiver as he is as a running back. So, [he's a] high-end character guy that has elite speed, that -- really, really excited."
