Urban Meyer mentions Zach Wilson in discussion about Jaguars’ No.1 pick

Unsurprisingly, the topics of quarterback play and this year’s No.1 pick in this year’s NFL Draft were touched on during Jacksonville Jaguars new coach Urban Meyer’s introductory press conference on Friday.

The former Utah Utes coach, however, made a quick mention that caught the attention of people in the state of Utah.

Meyer was asked about whether or not to have the No. 1 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft and whether he sees a split between the top quarterbacks in this year’s draft class. National experts almost unanimously agree that the Jaguars will draft a quarterback, and Meyer mentioned three quarterbacks – Trevor Lawrence of Clemson, Justin Fields of Ohio State and Zach Wilson of BYU – during the review of the best quarterback options in this year’s class.

“You see Trevor, you see Justin, you see Zach… like (Jacksonville owner) Shad (Khan) said, it’s a monumental moment for this franchise, and we’ve seen some franchises explode, and we’ve seen others fail, ”Meyer said. “I’ve said it a number of times throughout my career is that when the NFL says it’s a quarterback league, I would say it’s college just like high school, Pop Warner too. It’s a quarterback sport.

This is the first time Jacksonville has had the best draft pick in history. The Jaguars have selected a quarterback with a first-round draft selection three times, taking Byron Leftwich with the No.7 pick in 2003, Blaine Gabbert No.10 in 2011 and Blake Bortles third in 2014.

“Who we choose for this quarterback is going to be one of the most important decisions I’ve made in my life,” said Meyer. “… I like to use the term elite. I see elite quarterbacks there right now.

The Jaguars have gone 1-15 in 2020 and will have a projected cap of $ 77 million in the next offseason, according to Spotrac. Three quarters started for the team last season, including sophomore pro Gardner Minshew, who started eight games and completed 66% of his passes for 2,259 yards, 16 touchdowns and five interceptions. His rookie contract runs until 2022. Journeyman Mike Glennon and rookie Jake Luton started five and three games respectively; Glennon is on his way to becoming an unrestricted free agent.

Michael Conroy, Associated Press

Lawrence was the Heisman Trophy finalist in 2020 and threw for 10,098 yards, 90 touchdowns and 17 interceptions in three years at Clemson while leading the Tigers to the national championship as a rookie.

Fields transferred to Ohio State after a year in Georgia, and in two seasons with the Buckeyes, he threw for 5,701 yards, 67 touchdowns and nine interceptions and led Ohio State to the National Championship game that year, where the Buckeyes lost to Alabama.

Wilson burst onto the scene as a top draft prospect with a junior breakout season in 2020. He threw for 3,692 yards, 33 touchdowns and three interceptions and added 254 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns to lead BYU to a record of 11-1 and not 11 to finish in the Associated Press poll.

“Whoever takes this shot, we’ve got to be right and I think Shad said it best, that’s going to be… the term you’re going to hear throughout our time in Jacksonville is our partnership.” There will be full transparency, which is the way I have always operated, ”said Meyer.