Fields, Not Lawrence, Should Be The Jacksonville Jaguars First Pick

Now that Urban Meyer has landed with the Jacksonville Jaguars, all eyes are on the long-time college coach to transition his success to the NFL. Jacksonville isn’t far removed from a deep playoff run a few seasons ago but that playoff team has been mostly gutted. Luckily for Meyer, the Jags not only have the most cap space available, but they’ll also have the number one pick overall. With that pick, most have the Jaguars taking Trevor Lawrence of Clemson but is Ohio State’s Justin Fields the better option?

While every report is saying how Lawrence is the top prospect entering the Draft, how Meyer would love to coach him, and how he’s a “once in a generation talent, Jacksonville could be making prolonging their turnaround by taking him first overall. There’s a learning curve with today’s NFL and throwing a rookie to the wolves rarely works out.

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Despite the perceived talent difference between Lawrence and Fields, the Jaguars could make a smoother transition with the quarterback from Ohio State. First, not only does the quarterback have to transition to the NFL so does Meyer as a head coach. To make that transition as smooth as possible why not draft a quarterback you’ve already started to shape for the future.

If the Jacksonville Jaguars take Justin Fields first overall, you’ll already have a quarterback in play who knows your offense. You won’t have to teach him the verbiage, the cadence, and your play style. He’ll be able to come in and teach not only the rookies coming in, but he’d also be able to pass that knowledge on to the veterans as well. By putting him in a position to teach, Meyer instantly has his rookie quarterback in the leadership role.

With Trevor Lawrence, not only does he have to pick up that leadership role along the way, he’ll also need to learn and absorb that information as well. If Meyer takes him with the first pick, he might be gaining the talent but will be losing the two-year head start and chemistry he already has with a young quarterback.

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Trevor Lawrence might be the “once in a generation” talent, but we’ve all heard that story before. Every few years there’s a “once in a generation” that comes up in the NFL and just can’t cut it. How many Johnny Manziels do we have to go through until these coaches stop buying the hype and making smart moves to better these young QB’s chances for success. Trevor Lawrence might be the best quarterback in the draft, but he wouldn’t be the best fit for the Jacksonville Jaguars. With the cap space and draft picks, the Jaguars have enough ammo to build around Fields to make up the supposed talent gap. Justin Fields should be the number one pick for the Jacksonville Jaguars.