It's infrequent that the No. 1 overall pick isn't the talk of his new team, but on Trevor Lawrence's big day, word was out that Tebowmania 2.0 was in its early stages.
And since Lawrence was selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars with the 2021 NFL Draft's top overall pick, Tim Tebow has officially signed with the Jags to give being a tight end -- and pulling off an improbable comeback -- a shot.
Tebow's signing has been met with seemingly as much criticism as hoopla, but for Lawrence, it's been a chance to get to know another former first-round QB and he's been happy with what he's seen thus far.
"I've had a few good conversations with him. I'm really excited to play with him," Lawrence told MJ Acosta-Ruiz on Wednesday's edition of NFL Total Access. "I don't know if you're going to find a better guy to have in your locker room, and he's in great shape. He looks great, he's been out there practicing with us."
The Jaguars' franchise quarterback of the future extolled Tebow's intangibles as a teammate, his work ethic and his competitiveness.
How Tebow, the 25th overall pick of the 2010 draft, looked and how he competed at a tryout for the team has already been lauded, and Lawrence has likewise been impressed by the 33-year-old's ability to grasp the Jaguars' offense and scheme.
"He's running around well, picking it up quick. I think mentally, he's in a great spot. Being a quarterback and playing in the NFL for a number of years, he kind of gets the NFL offense -- personnel, offense, systems -- he picks them up easily," Lawrence said. "He's coming along great and I think just everyone's excited to have him in the locker room, seeing what he's been able to do, the ultimate competitor he is and just his character. That's just a guy you want on your team, for one, and a guy you want to be around."
How long Tebow will be around is the looming question, of course. Will he remain with the club through the first cuts down to 85 players on Aug. 17 or to 80 a week later or pull off the improbable and make the squad's 53-man roster?
It's a storyline that will continue to garner attention throughout the offseason.
As Lawrence continues to work back to 100% after surgery on his non-throwing shoulder and get acclimated to his new NFL surroundings, he's continuing to find his way from Clemson to Duval.
"There's a lot of differences. It's still football," Lawrence said of the transition from college to the NFL. "It's been a lot of fun to get out there with all the new guys, new teammates, and kind of get used to everyone. That's been fun, but it's just different. I'm a pro now, and just the way people handle their business, the expectations, all those things, in a good way. You're just expected to be prepared and play at a high level because this is our job now. It's been a cool adjustment for me, and being able to treat this as, this is my job. This is all I have to do. It's not like I'm in school anymore. That's obviously different. And then just here like I said, getting adjusted to new teammates, new coaches, all that, it's going great. I think we got an amazing coaching staff here and players, as well. It's been as smooth as it could be and it's just been a lot of fun getting to know everybody."
And that includes Tebow, the consummate competitor and teammate who might have drawn his share of criticism from outside the Jaguars facility, but has drawn admiration from the 2021 No. 1 pick.
