Good news for the Jacksonville Jaguars

Travis Etienne was picked with the #25 overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft. This pick came as a bit of a surprise to me because Jacksonville already had star running back James Robinson on their squad after a breakout rookie season in 2020. With Robinson showing out in 2020, it seemed that the only positions the Jaguars had looking good for the rebuild were their running backs and coverage linebackers (Myles Jack and Joe Schobert). Although the Etienne pick seemed risky, especially for a first-round pick, the main reason for the selection seemed to be that Jacksonville wanted to allow Jaguars #1 pick QB Trevor Lawrence to be able to continue his football career with one of the weapons he had in college. However, in this offseason, coach Urban Meyer seems to have a master plan in maximizing the production of 3 highly-anticipated players this season: RB James Robinson, QB Trevor Lawrence, and Travis Etienne. I leave out the position for the latter on purpose because Urban Meyer has been putting the 1st round pick at Wide Receiver, in order to utilize his versatility. Etienne stated that his long-time QB Trevor Lawrence has made it much easier to get used to the full-on WR position. Etienne has been running routes just like any other receiver, so much that when his Madden 22 rookie ratings were released, he was listed as a WR. This move could pan out to be great for the Jaguars, allowing better utilization of all the offensive weapons. Here’s who won and lost the move

1. QB Trevor Lawrence- This allows for Lawrence to have a connection with his receiver that has already been established through college
2. WR Travis Etienne- The move of Etienne from running back to receiver transfers him from a highly-contested position to a much less contested, more flexible position.
3. RB James Robinson- The star running back now doesn’t need to fear of losing his starting job to the rookie, because now instead of battling for snaps, he’s working with Etienne on the field simultaneously.
4. WR Marvin Jones Jr.- The veteran receiver Jacksonville picked up in free agency this offseason was set to have almost no WR competition in 2021, which can seem good to some, but it’s not always a nice thing to lack. This would mean Jones would be double covered most games, because he would be the only real receiving threat on the field, and Jones’s production would dip. With Etienne lining up at receiver, Jones should get a little less attention from defenses, while still getting passes from Trevor Lawrence

1. WR’s D.J. Chark and Leviska Shenault- Although either receivers could start in 2021 in week 1, with Trevor Lawrence’s chemistry with Etienne as a target, Chark and Shenault could be in danger of going down the depth chart.
2. Texans and Titans- These two teams are also in the AFC South with the Jaguars, and have weak cornerbacks. Etienne, if he thrives at the receiver position, can allow himself and Marvin Jones to tear up opposing teams with weak cornerbacks.