Peyton Manning’s advice to Trevor Lawrence ahead of NFL Draft

Peyton Manning has some interesting advice for Trevor Lawrence ahead of the 2021 NFL Draft.

Peyton Manning went No. 1 overall to the Indianapolis Colts in the 1998 NFL Draft. Trevor Lawrence looks to do the same thing, as he is projected to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft by the Jacksonville Jaguars.

While Manning thought it was cool Lawrence wore his No. 16 jersey while at Clemson, it would have been a lot cooler if he had played for the Tennessee Volunteers over the Tigers. Though Manning was just having a little fun with that in his conversation with Gene Sapakoff of The Post and Courier, he does offer a great bit of advice for the soon-to-be No. 1 overall pick.

“Wherever you go — as Eli would tell you or my dad would tell you — you’re going to a team that has holes. That’s why they have the first pick,” said Manning. “As I used to say when I was the first pick of the Colts, ‘The Colts had really earned that No. 1 pick.’ Sometimes that can be challenging for sure, but very rewarding. Trevor is a good guy to try and build around for a turnaround.”

Peyton Manning knows the Jacksonville Jaguars earned that No. 1 overall pick

Manning, his father Archie and his younger brother Eli can all attest to the growing pains that come from going to a rebuilding franchise. While Peyton went No. 1 overall to Indianapolis, Archie went No. 2 to the New Orleans Saints. Though Eli was drafted first by the then-San Diego Chargers, he was traded to the New York Giants who picked Philip Rivers No. 4 overall.

None of the Mannings had success right away. While Peyton and Eli won Super Bowls, Archie never overcame playing for a sub-.500 team. Though Lawrence has the talent to turn around a moribund franchise like the Jaguars, Jacksonville is expecting him to cover up some of the holes that already exist on their roster. Ask Joe Burrow how that went with the 2020 Cincinnati Bengals.

As long as Lawrence is up for the challenges ahead in Jacksonville, he will do just fine in Duval.

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