The Athletic’s Nick Baumgardner recently picked 11 second-year NFL breakout candidates on each side of the ball, and two former Clemson Tigers appeared on the list of offensive players in Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence and Cincinnati Bengals offensive lineman Jackson Carman.
Here’s some of what Baumgardner wrote about Lawrence, of course the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft:
Lawrence’s rookie season was overshadowed by a bunch of stuff that had nothing to do with him, but in reality, he was one of many Jaguars forced to make the best of a rough situation. The roster is better this year, Lawrence will have more weapons, and he gets another year with Marvin Jones Jr. — one of the smoothest vets in the league.
When Lawrence is under control, he can be lethal. People can forget how athletic he is, but you never have to squint to find examples of how Lawrence moves the pocket with his feet before uncorking beautiful, vertical throws from weird angles. There are also times when he wants to throw off his back foot too much or sticks too long on his second read.
As for Carman, a second-round pick (46th overall) in the 2021 NFL Draft, Baumgardner wrote, “Carman played three positions — left guard, right guard and left tackle — as a rookie on an AFC champion, and he lived to tell about it. A tackle at Clemson, Carman might find a home in the NFL at guard (if Cincinnati lets him settle in), as his quick hands and powerful first step can be a great combo. There are also examples on tape of Carman doing a great job in the second level against athletic linebackers.”
A Greater Cincinnati native (Fairfield, Ohio), Carman spent the majority of his rookie season as a reserve but did start six games and saw action on 501 combined snaps (regular season plus postseason) during Cincinnati’s run to Super Bowl LVI.
Lawrence finished his rookie season 359-of-602 for 3,641 passing yards and 12 touchdowns. He also compiled 334 rushing yards on 73 attempts and two touchdowns.
Lawrence and Carman were teammates at Clemson from 2018-20 and won a national title together in 2018.
–Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
