NFL Draft recap: Jacksonville Jaguars pick Trevor Lawrence as quarterbacks prove popular

The Jacksonville Jaguars selected quarterback Trevor Lawrence with the first pick of the NFL Draft on Thursday.

As fans returned a year after the coronavirus pandemic forced the event to go virtual, 21-year-old Lawrence, a runner-up for the Heisman Trophy, was the consensus top pick for the struggling Jaguars, which went 1-and-15 last season.

"I'm going to put the work in, I'm going to do what it takes," Lawrence, who led Clemson to three straight ACC championship titles, told reporters.

"I'm not expecting for anyone to hand me anything - I want to come in there and earn the respect and the right to lead the team.”

All three first picks were quarterbacks, with New York Jets selecting BYU quarterback Zach Wilson second, as expected, before the San Francisco 49ers surprised NFL insiders by snagging North Dakota State quarterback Trey Lance third.

Wilson said: "When a team isn't doing super well and you can go in there and actually be a key piece to actually flip that organization around, I think that's so special. I'm so excited, along with this new coaching staff, to go in there and try and do the best that we can to flip this thing around."

Not since 1999, and only twice in total before, have the first three picks been quarterbacks.

The other two top quarterback prospects - Justin Fields and Mac Jones - were selected 11th, by the Philadelphia Eagles, and 15th by the New England Patriots, respectively.

Jones was one of a whopping six prospects out of University of Alabama selected in the first round, a figure that equals the record set in 2004 by the University of Miami.

The NFL Draft continues on Friday.

Additional reporting by Associated Press.