Travis Etienne, Jaguars...Receiver?

Why would the Jacksonville Jaguars draft a running back in the first round to play receiver? Will former Clemson star Travis Etienne get a shot at running back in 2021?

What happens when the all-time leading rusher in ACC history gets selected in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft?

Apparently, he becomes a wide receiver. 

At least that's the buzz is coming out of Jacksonville Jaguars' rookie mini-camp, where former Clemson star running back Travis Etienne is exclusively working out as a pass-catcher.

"That's the reason we drafted him is the opportunity to be a dual-threat guy and our history as long as we've had a guy like that and we saw him as a guy like that in the draft this year," Jacksonville head coach Urban Meyer said last weekend. "Right now we're focusing on the fundamentals of wide receiver play, learning the offense from wide receiver."

That means, for the time being, a guy who recorded 4,952 rushing yards and 70 touchdowns via the ground isn't taking handoffs or learning to play running back at the next level. 

"When I came out here, (Meyer) brought me into a room, asked me how I felt about (playing receiver, and I feel great about it," Etienne said. “I feel like it’s going to help me maximize my opportunity, maximize my skillset, so I feel like coach knows what he’s doing. He’s doing what’s best for the team and I feel like it’s going to work out really well." 

Etienne might not be wrong. He's also as humble as they come and wouldn't make a fuss about this publically at all. However, it's hard to believe a ball carrier of his talent and prowess, one who has consistently shown an explosive running style and the ability to hit home runs, is perfectly fine playing another position. 

Of course, this could very well be a short-term thing, and Etienne does get reps at his natural position when training camp begins in July. It also makes sense that Meyer would want to use Etienne as a versatile weapon. After all, the Louisana native came back to Clemson in 2020, spurning the pros, to show he could be a complete back.

He went from a player who went from five catches for 57 yards in his freshman season at Clemson to 48 catches for 588 yards as a senior. 

"Football is a game of matchups. I feel like I create a problem outside for a linebacker. We’re just trying to get the best matchups for us to go out there and make plays and do what’s best for the team. I feel like if I really hone in on my skills and just keep working at it, work on my route running ability and really focus in on what the plan is and buy into that, we’ll make plays; we’re playmakers.”

But if this is a permanent move, then why did the Jaguars use a first-round pick on Etienne? It's perplexing after having a 1,000-yard rookie rusher a year ago in James Robinson that they would select what Meyer called a "third-down back" in Etienne. 

Using the running back out of the backfield or lining him up as a slot receiver isn't exactly groundbreaking. The Carolina Panthers took Christian McCaffery eighth overall in the 2017 draft, and the multi-faceted running back had 1,000-yard rushing and 1,000-yard receiving season in 2019, but he's still a running back. 

Does getting Etienne and Robinson on the field at the same time make sense? Of course, but if Jacksonville needed a slot receiver, they should've drafted a slot receiver with the 25th overall pick. 

Etienne is still a running back, and at some point, he deserves the chance to show it. 

"Worst-case scenario is you have a running back that's elite with receiver skills and best-case scenario he's a legitimate dual-threat guy," Meyer said.

Maybe he's also not wrong, but it feels odd to think of Etienne as a "gimmick" player, and hopefully that's not how Meyer sees him. At the same time, there's nothing super innovative here. 

This is the same coach who signed former QB Tim Tebow to play tight end. Maybe No. 1 overall pick and former Clemson star Trevor Lawrence will safety. Who knows?

Ultimately, let's just see what Meyer, in his first year in the NFL, does with this offensive weapon in 2021. 

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