If you believe mock draft experts, the Jacksonville Jaguars are one of a handful of teams that could select Trevor Lawrence with the No. 1 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. In fact, Todd McShay believes that exact scenario will unfold next April.
Well, Gardner Minshew might have something to say about that. A sixth-round draft pick in 2019, Minshew completed 60.6 percent of his passes for 3,271 yards, 21 touchdowns and six interceptions in 14 games (12 starts) as a rookie.
All things considered, it was a pretty darn good year for Minshew, who hopes to be the Jaguars starter for years to come.
“This is definitely his team,” Jaguars offensive tackle Jawaan Taylor said on Tiki & Tierney. “He’s definitely a true leader. He’s definitely stepped up a lot more this year since last year. You can tell he’s getting more confident in what he does every day and being a professional. He’s definitely taking over this team and starting to become a great leader for us. We’re excited to create big plays for him and protect him and different things like that. We’re excited about it.”
Minshew showed good mobility as a rookie, rushing 67 times for 344 yards and 20 first downs. It’s one of many skills Minshew brings to the table.
“He’s fast,” Taylor said. “He can get out of the pocket and create plays with his legs. Of course, he’s very accurate. Everybody can see how extremely accurate he is. Also, he’s very smart. He knows the game of football like the back of his hand, so that also helps us at the line. Whenever we need to flip a protection or whatever it is, he can definitely do that for us.”
The Jaguars went 6-10 last season and are 11-21 since losing to the Patriots in the AFC Championship in January 2018. Doug Marrone returns as head coach, while Jay Gruden will serve as offensive coordinator.
“The fans can expect to see some new explosive things coming out of our offense this year,” Taylor said. “Coach Gruden is doing a great job with us. It’s going very well. Every single day we’re getting better and we’re learning, and we’re just growing together as an offense.”