CBS Sports not impressed with Trevor Lawrence’s debut

CBS’ Cody Benjamin ranked Lawrence last among first-round passers in preseason Week 1.

Jacksonville Jaguars rookie quarterback Trevor Lawrence made his NFL debut in the preseason opener against Cleveland on Saturday night, and though the first-overall pick made some noteworthy plays, it wasn’t the most polished performance.

He appeared in just two series, neither of which resulted in points for the team. He finished at a solid 6-of-9 passing for 71 yards, but he was sacked twice: once by former Jag Sheldon Day, and then again at the 1:08 minute mark in the first quarter by Porter Gustin.

The highlight of the evening came on a 35-yard bomb to Marvin Jones Jr., a very nicely thrown ball with an equally impressive catch in traffic from the veteran. Other than that, though, it was a mostly forgettable performance.

CBS Sports’ Cody Benjamin was not impressed, though. He ranked Lawrence’s performance fifth among the rookie quarterbacks in Week 1.

Here’s what he said about Lawrence.

The former Clemson star showed good things against the Browns, namely an ability to hang in the pocket. His 35-yard strike to a leaping Marvin Jones Jr. was a legitimate highlight. But he also waited way too long to throw the ball and took two ugly sacks, coughing up the ball (before recovering) on one. Chalk it up to jitters for now. All in all: Passable. Everyone knows the real test comes in Week 1.

Though Lawrence didn’t have as good a debut as he could have, comparing him to most of these other quarterbacks seems like comparing apples to oranges. Of the five rookies mentioned, the only other one who started for his team was Zach Wilson. Like Lawrence, Wilson appeared in only two series.

And also like Lawrence, he finished 6-of-9 passing with fewer yards than the Jags rookie. In fairness, he didn’t take any sacks, but putting him two spots above Lawrence is a bit interesting.

The rest of the passers played as backups and saw more action while facing second-team defenses. Cleveland wasn’t playing many starters on defense, but it stands to reason Lawrence would have been more effective had he been allowed to continue into the second quarter.

All in all, the performance for the Jags’ rookie may have been a bit disappointing, but ranking his performance as the worst among the first-round rookies seems like a bit of a stretch.