If there is one player who has established himself as a leader on defense for the Jacksonville Jaguars since he was signed in March, it’s cornerback Shaquill Griffin. The veteran returned to his home state after spending time with a successful Seattle Seahawks organization and brought a wealth of knowledge with him that has been very valuable for the Jags’ young roster.

Of course, with him being a part of the secondary, Griffin has taken note of those on the defensive side with him, but he had the opportunity to speak on the offense’s most important player, Trevor Lawrence, to open minicamp — and offered high praise for the No. 1 overall pick of 2021’s draft.

“I feel like the main thing I’ve been seeing is he’s very explosive, so when the ball is out it’s out,” Griffin said. “When you see him throwing, even if I’m out on the sideline, I’m watching him throwing to different receivers. It’s just the rotation of the ball. The time. The way he’s putting it away from everybody. It’s just insane to see that so early in a quarterback. You talk about coming into the league with such high hopes, and he’s proving that.”

While there is only so much that can go into evaluations on Lawrence for now (because the pads aren’t on), Griffin’s statements still should mean a lot for those who’ve been curious about the rookie. The reason for that is because he’s a player who has lined up against the best since coming into the NFL in 2017, including Russell Wilson, who he’s practiced against countless times.

Griffin’s comments come after Lawrence’s offensive teammates have also praised him like Laviska Shenault Jr., who was asked about Lawrence last week on Good Morning Football.

“He’s great. He always wants to work, ready to learn,” Shenault said. “He wants to get the extra work in. He’s throwing passes before guys are even coming out of their route and a lot of people can’t do that. So, that’s something you’re ready to see, ready to be around for a long time.”

Last week, we explained why it sounds like Lawrence was up and down during OTAs, which should’ve been expected. However, when he’s flashed his ability, it has caught the eyes of his most talented teammates, which is huge for the rookie who will need to be the leader of the franchise for years to come.