When in Rome.
Although Jaguars coach Urban Meyer isn’t fully on board with all of the realities of life in the NFL (he thinks the free-agency system is “awful”), Meyer apparently has gotten the memo about maximizing the mystery that is the NFL’s annual ultimate reality show.
The league wants the team with the first overall pick to say nothing that would make clear that team’s plans for the selection. Speaking to Peter King, Meyer was careful not to make it clear that the Jaguars will take quarterback Trevor Lawrence.
“I’d have to say that’s the direction we’re going,” Meyer said. “I’ll leave that up to the owner when we make that decision official. But I’m certainly not stepping out of line that that’s certainly the direction we’re headed.”
There’s no reason for the Jaguars to be coy; they run the board. There’s every reason for them to not stun their fan base by suddenly pivoting from Lawrence to someone else, like BYU’s Zach Wilson.
Before the 2011 CBA, which adopted a wage-scale that made negotiations with top draft picks much cleaner and simpler, teams from time to time finalized a contract with the first overall selection before the draft even began. That no longer happens, and the league likes it that way.
Even when everyone who pays regular attention to the process knows who the pick will be, the league wants the millions who do a draft-night drive-by to be in the dark for as long as possible. Meyer complied with that preference in what he said -- or more accurately didn’t say -- to King.