JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The No. 1 pick and now a team captain as a rookie. That’s a pretty solid start to Trevor Lawrence‘s career with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The former Clemson standout was named one of seven team captains Wednesday after a player vote. He and Zach Wilson, the second overall pick in the draft, by the New York Jets, are the only rookie quarterbacks expected to start in season openers to earn that honor in 2021.
“It’s a really cool feeling, especially as a younger guy, just having that support from my teammates,” Lawrence said. “Really, like I said [after] being named a starter and now a captain, nothing changes. Same expectation, and now it’s time to go out there and win some games.
“But I’m really excited. It’s definitely an honor. It’s a cool moment for me to be named a captain with those other guys, just a bunch of great guys in the locker room. We had a ton of guys that got votes, but [it’s] definitely really cool.”
Linebacker Myles Jack (who got the most votes, per Jaguars coach Urban Meyer), defensive end Josh Allen, cornerback Shaquill Griffin, receiver Marvin Jones, safety Rayshawn Jenkins and center Brandon Linder are the other Jaguars captains. Linder is the first player in franchise history to be a captain five times.
“I was impressed that he [Lawrence] was up there, I want to say third, in vote-gets,” Meyer said “That’s a credit to him.” Lawrence and Wilson join Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow as the only rookie quarterbacks the past two seasons to be named permanent captains.