CBS Sports recently published an article predicting how quarterbacks from the 2021 NFL Draft class — including Trevor Lawrence — will fare this season and providing outlooks for their 2022 campaigns.
Widely regarded as a can’t-miss prospect and generational talent coming out of Clemson, Lawrence’s rookie season was largely one to forget as he struggled to the tune of throwing more interceptions (17) than touchdown passes (12) and posting a QBR of 33.5 that ranked 28th in the league.
Aside from the challenge of simply getting adjusted to the NFL as a first-year signal-caller, Lawrence had to deal with all the drama that surrounded the Jaguars’ organization during Urban Meyer’s tumultuous 13-game tenure as the team’s head coach in 2021 before he was canned in December.
Considering the situation Lawrence was in last season and how promising of a prospect he was as the No. 1 overall pick in last year’s draft, CBS Sports analyst Chris Trapasso isn’t giving up on Lawrence after one rough, rookie season in the NFL.
“I still believe in Lawrence,” Trapasso wrote. “He was too good of a prospect for me to see one NFL season and be out on him. There’s no quantifiable way to measure how much Urban Meyer sapped from Lawrence and every other Jaguars players last season. But it wasn’t a coincidence Lawrence played better after Meyer was relieved of his duties.
“The team is better, Lawrence will be better in 2022. I will say, though, I’m less bullish on his future than I was a year ago at this time, simply based on how dismal his rookie season was.”
Overall, Lawrence completed 59.6 percent of his passes for 3,641 yards in 17 games last season. He finished on a high note with his performance against the Indianapolis Colts in the final week of the regular season on Jan. 9, when he went 23-of-32 passing for 223 yards and threw for two touchdowns while leading his team to a 26-11 victory that eliminated the Colts from playoff contention.
Looking ahead to this season, Trapasso wrote that he wants to see Lawrence “beaming lasers at the intermediate level and down the field” in new head coach Doug Pederson’s offense.
“Lawrence was born with an enviable combination of freaky arm talent and natural confidence as a passer to complete the throws most quarterbacks decide to not let rip,” Trapasso wrote. “In the final game of the regular season, a resounding win over a Colts team on the cusp of the playoffs, Lawrence made two throws that brought me right back to his Clemson film. It was blissful. Yes, it was just two throws, but they capped what was steadier play down the stretch from the No. 1 overall pick.”
As for improving his weaknesses, Trapasso wrote that Lawrence must make his “layups,” or consistently hit on the shorter throws, noting that Lawrence’s adjusted completion rate of 80.3 percent on passes from the line of scrimmage to 9 yards beyond it ranked 26th among qualifying quarterbacks, and in that range, he threw two touchdowns with five interceptions.
Lawrence heads into the 2022 season with not only a new head coach and staff to help guide him, but also a better supporting cast on the field around him after the Jaguars pulled out their pocketbook this offseason to sign free agents such as wide receivers Christian Kirk and Zay Jones, tight end Evan Engram and offensive lineman Brandon Scherff.
“Now, this is still not an upper-echelon roster in Jacksonville,” Trapasso wrote. “It’s better, but still a lower-half-of-the-league compilation of players. In the end, it’s a good enough group that Lawrence shouldn’t be noticeably hindered by those around him. It’s not an environment that’ll bolster Lawrence’s development, though.”
–Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Come out to support Clemson softball at Dear Old Clemson’s second event which is set for August 27 at the Madren Conference Center. Coach Rittman will speak at the event. Clemson returns one of the top teams in the nation and adds some new talent to the mix. If you sign up for certain club levels you get free access to all Dear Old Clemson events or purchase your tickets today at Dear Old Clemson.
