No. 1 NFL draft pick Trevor Lawrence was criticized for not being consumed by football, but his new boss called it 'refreshing'

• No. 1 draft pick Trevor Lawrence faced scrutiny for saying football doesn't define him.
• Jaguars owner Shad Khan called his new quarterback's mentality "refreshing."
• Lawrence later wrote on social media that he is dedicated to football and his comments were misinterpreted.

Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shad Khan found it impressive and "refreshing" that his new quarterback doesn't let football define him.

Trevor Lawrence, the No. 1 pick of the 2021 NFL draft, who was taken by the Jaguars on Thursday, faced a certain level of criticism after he said in Sports Illustrated that he is not consumed by football.

"It's not like I need [football] for my life to be OK," Lawrence told SI. "I want to do it because I want to be the best I can be. I want to maximize my potential. Who wouldn't want to? You kind of waste it if you don't.

"It's hard to explain that because I want people to know that I'm passionate about what I do and it's really important to me, but ... I don't have this huge chip on my shoulder, that everyone's out to get me and I'm trying to prove everybody wrong. I just don't have that. I can't manufacture that. I don't want to."

Though Lawrence later reiterated his love for football on social media and said people were "misreading his sentiments," Khan said Lawrence's whole demeanor was a nice change of pace.

"I was kind of blown away because his sense of humility and how grounded and how, for lack of a better word, normal," Khan told NFL Network. "And the balance of life - it was kind of refreshing. I was really, really delighted."

Khan told NFL Network that he saw landing Lawrence with the No. 1 pick as one of the biggest days of his life.

Historically, it has been dangerous for draft prospects to be considered not in love with their games. Teams can use the idea as reasons not to draft a player, believing they won't work as hard to improve.

Of course, it's slightly different in Lawrence's case. He has been considered the top prospect for the last two seasons, and there was very little debate over whether the Jaguars should pick him.

Lawrence has already embedded himself in the Jacksonville community. Weeks before the draft, Jaguars fans sent Lawrence and his now-wife Marissa wedding gifts and donations. In return, Lawrence donated $20,000 to Jacksonville charities.