Trevor Lawrence showed grit during Jaguars’ struggles

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Trevor Lawrence learned it is not always what you do, but where you go and who you are there with.

The top pick in a draft almost always goes to a bad team, but the Jaguars in 2021 were not just bad, but uniquely dysfunctional — with Urban Meyer, a college coaching guru, showing he was remarkably unfit for an NFL job. Lawrence had to navigate through some choppy seas, but he never lost his dignity even as he lost, week after week, on the field.

The quarterback did, however, admit he lost some of his confidence.

“There are times when it gets a little shaky, and you really have to work through that,’’ Lawrence said a few days before the Jaguars hosted the Giants on Sunday. “Honestly, there were times last year where you start to question some things. This game really tests you mentally — obviously physically but mentally especially, really when you’re having not a great year, as a team, as a player, as an offense, whatever that may be, you really just have to keep that confidence.’’

For most of his life, all Lawrence knew was winning. His high school teams won 41 consecutive games and two state championships in Georgia. Lawrence won his first 29 games at Clemson and finished his college career with a record of 38-2, but he is 5-18 as an NFL starter. Yet at 23 years old, his potential remains extremely high, based on his physical ability and his mental acuity.

“Honestly, I haven’t been challenged too much, as far as my confidence, until really, getting into the NFL,’’ Lawrence said. “Things have gone pretty smoothly in my career. I’ve had a few bumps in the road, but really last year was challenging.’’

Giants head coach Brian Daboll was the offensive coordinator at Alabama in 2017, thus he was on a recruiting trail that took him to Cartersville, Ga.

“Tremendous high school football player,’’ Daboll said. “You go down there and watch a practice. He can play on Sundays when he was down there in high school. He was really, really talented. He’s really talented now. I think he’s doing a great job in coach [Doug] Pederson’s offense. He’s big. He can throw it accurately. He can move. They run him on some quarterback, not just keepers, but also quarterback-designed runs, too. So, athletic, smart. He’s a really good person, too. He’s going to be a good player in this league for a long time.’’

Last week, Lawrence completed 20 of 22 passes for 165 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions, while also rushing for two touchdowns. His quarterback rating was 113.1, but the Jaguars were beaten in Indianapolis, 34-27. Lawrence became the first quarterback in NFL history to lose a game with 20-plus passing attempts, 90-plus completion percentage, three total touchdowns and no turnovers.

Giants safety Xavier McKinney faced Lawrence once when the two were in college. Lawrence tossed three touchdown passes to close out his sensational true freshman year, and Clemson completed a 15-0 season with a 44-16 rout of Alabama in the national championship game.

“Obviously, I think he’s a really good quarterback,’’ McKinney said. “He has a really good arm and makes smart decisions — he’s grown a lot since I played him. He was young when I first played him, but he was really good. He’s gotten a lot better, and it shows.’’