Travis Etienne was ‘secretly rooting’ for Jaguars to pick him in draft
from Erin Walsh with YardBarker.com/www.yardbarker.com
Everyone knew the Jacksonville Jaguars were going to select Trevor Lawrence with the first overall pick in Thursday night’s draft. It was unclear what they would do with their second first-round pick at 25th overall.
Travis Etienne, Lawrence’s Clemson teammate, was hoping the Jaguars would select him, and they did just that. After the Jags picked him at No. 25, the running back admitted that’s exactly what he wanted.
“I was secretly rooting for Jacksonville. . . . I did have it in the back of my mind that I might have a chance to reunite with Trev,” Etienne said, via the team’s website. “For it to come full circle, I’m just happy, excited and blessed. Being his teammate for three years, we’ve really built that camaraderie. I don’t have to work on getting to know somebody else. I know Trev inside and out. It will be a great feeling. We’re going out there with the same common goal, so there will be great things to happen on that field.”
Jaguars head coach Urban Meyer called Etienne a “matchup issue” who can help the team both as a runner and receiver. His relationship with Lawrence could also mean more playing time once the season begins.
The 22-year-old is very versatile. In four seasons at Clemson, he ran for 4,952 yards and 70 touchdowns with 102 catches for 1,155 yards and eight scores.
Etienne was the second running back taken behind Alabama’s Najee Harris.