NFL Notes: Trevor Lawrence, Melvin Gordon, Draft

Trevor Lawrence

Clemson QB Trevor Lawrence recently told Michael Rosenberg of SI.com that he is playing to be the best person he can be and he isn’t coming into the NFL with a chip on his shoulder about having to prove himself.

“It’s not like I need this for my life to be OK,” Lawrence told Michael Rosenberg of SI.com. “I want to do it because I want to be the best I can be. I want to maximize my potential. Who wouldn’t want to? You kind of waste it if you don’t. It’s hard to explain that because I want people to know that I’m passionate about what I do and it’s really important to me, but I don’t have this huge chip on my shoulder, that everyone’s out to get me and I’m trying to prove everybody wrong. I just don’t have that. I can’t manufacture that. I don’t want to. I think that’s unhealthy to a certain extent, just always thinking that you’ve got to prove somebody wrong, you’ve got to do more, you’ve got to be better.”

Lawrence’s father said of his son: “He’s not award-driven. He’s not, ‘I want to win a Super Bowl at all costs.’” His high school coach also said of Lawrence: “With who he is as a person, he could walk away from it tomorrow and be fine.”

Lawrence clarified his comments on Twitter Saturday, explaining that he felt people were misinterpreting what he meant.

“It seems as if people are misreading my sentiment. I am internally motivated – I love football as much or more than anyone. It is a HUGE priority in my life, obviously. I am driven to be the best I can be, and to maximize my potential. And to WIN. I have a lot of confidence in my work ethic, I love to grind and chase my goals. You can ask anyone who has been in my life. That being said, I am secure in who I am, and what I believe. I don’t need football to make me feel worthy as a person. I purely love the game and everything that comes with it. The work, the team, the ups, and downs. I am a firm believer in the fact that there is a plan for my life and I’m called to be the best I can be at whatever I am doing.”

Melvin Gordon

Broncos RB Melvin Gordon called his first year in Denver a difficult experience given some fans felt like he was infringing on Phillip Lindsay. 

“It was probably one of my most difficult seasons. I am not going to lie. Just ’cause a lot of fans and a lot of people weren’t too happy with me coming in and Phil wanting to get paid and everything like that. I was like, ‘Look man, I had no parts in that.’ I wanted to be here, and they wanted me to be here. It was a mutual thing and it kind of just happened. It was tough, man, because I felt like a lot of people didn’t accept me,” said Gordon, via Troy Renck. 

Gordon said he was focused on building a close relationship with his teammates quickly after signing with the Broncos. 

“I made it premium to get close with the guys on the team. I knew I had to play every game with my heart and really earn the guys’ trust. Nothing is given, everything is earned, and I understand that. Regardless of what Pro Bowl I went to, you are on a new team and you have to show what you’ve got. That was my really main focus. I would have liked if the fans liked me, but I understood the situation,” Gordon said. “I stopped really focusing on that and focused on what I can do to help the team win and what I can do to build my relationship with teammates. The play just started going up when I put my focus on the right things.”

As for Gordon’s DUI and speeding charge from October 14 being dismissed by the Denver District Attorney due to evidentiary concerns, the running back said he was grateful to have his name cleared.

“Man, I was super relieved. I am not going to lie to you. Countless nights of no sleep, and man, it was always on the back of my mind,” Gordon said. “I am putting in all this work, and you know I went on a limb. I was like, ‘I am not going to just take a three-game suspension. I am going to try fight this thing.’ I don’t want to miss any games. I don’t want to miss no games this year. I don’t miss no games next year. Those three games sitting out, I could probably help make a difference. I want to fight this thing to be out there with my teammates. And it happened and worked in my favor. I am just so happy about it because there were a lot of people disappointed. Now, when everything comes out and my name gets cleared, hopefully people can change their thoughts about me and that whole situation, you know?”

Draft

• Lance Zierlein says that some second-tier quarterbacks in the 2021 NFL Draft could be taken earlier than expected with Florida’s Kyle Trask, Stanford’s Davis Mills, and Texas A&M’s Kellen Mond are “all likely to be gone” on Day 2.
• In the end, Zierlein expects 7-8 quarterbacks to be drafted within the first two rounds of the 2021 NFL Draft. 
• Zierlein could see Alabama C Landon Dickerson falling out of the first round, while Dickerson along with Wisconsin-Whitewater C Quinn Meinerz and Oklahoma C Creed Humphrey being selected within the first 70 picks.
• Zierlein notes that each coach and personnel executive he’s spoken to grades Alabama RB Najee Harris, Clemson RB Travis Etienne, and North Carolina RB Javonte Williams as “dead-lock tier-one” running backs.