Not since Andrew Luck in 2012 has a quarterback been so widely deemed ready to start (and star) in the N.F.L. as a rookie. And just as fans of woeful teams back then launched “Suck for Luck” campaigns, so, too, did they pine throughout the 2020 N.F.L. season for Lawrence, who well into December seemed headed to the Jets.
But once the winless Jets upset the Rams in Week 15, the one-win Jaguars vaulted ahead of them on tiebreakers for the right to draft Lawrence, setting off celebrations throughout Duval County, Fla. — and attracting the attention of a certain coach eager to try to recreate his college success in the N.