JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Count Shaquill Griffin very impressed by Trevor Lawrence.
While the defense has flashed during portions of organized team activities and minicamp open to the media, Lawrence has gotten the attention of the guys on the other side of the field in a big way.
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Griffin, a marquee free agent signing by the Jaguars in the offseason, raved about the No. 1 overall draft choice on Monday.
“The rotation of the ball, the timing, the way he’s putting it there, away from everybody, it’s just insane to see that so early in a quarterback. You’re talking about coming in the league with so much high hopes and he’s proving it. That’s why I’m so excited for him,” Griffin said.
“But the things that I’ve been seeing, the improvements, like I said, the patience. I’m starting to see that more now. If he’s scrambling out the pocket and he’s trying to make a play, he’s letting things develop, he’s letting receivers get open.”
Griffin said that he’s been impressed by the intensity of the defense, which includes new faces in the secondary and younger players sprinkled throughout that unit. Cornerback Tre Herndon has been one of those standouts, Griffin said. And he thinks Jacksonville’s defense can become one of the best units in the league, just like Lawrence can become one of the league’s top quarterbacks.
“The good thing is he’s going to be going against one of the best defenses in the league. I’m saying that now because we’re going to work him and we want the same thing from him. We’re talking about having one of the best quarterbacks in the league,” Griffin said.
“We want to get that same type of work. We want to push him. Don’t get me wrong, I’m excited for training camp to go for the ball. I can’t wait for that. But I wouldn’t have Trevor change too much besides staying who he is, staying poised, being more patient in the pocket, going though all his checks, and just reading everything.
Lawrence was somewhat limited due to a hamstring strain, something that coach Urban Meyer said was an injury he could have played through in the regular season. But since it’s mid-June, Jacksonville has kept Lawrence scaled back physically. Meyer said that they don’t want a minor hamstring issue to hang around into the season.
“It’s feeling good. It’s been about a week [since it happened] and I’m just trying to work it back to full capacity. It’s a little frustrating just not being able to go full speed, but I’m feeling good,” Lawrence said. “[I’m] just trying to not have any more setbacks, so [I’m] taking it slow, got some good reps today, just starting to get more and more each day this week and just kind of work back into it. But it’s doing great, trying to work it back.”