As Trevor Lawrence enters his second season with the Jacksonville Jaguars, one former NFL cornerback is predicting Lawrence to make a considerable progression.
Speaking on the Pat McAfee show Thursday, former Patriots, Panthers and Colts defensive back Darius Butler said he believes Lawrence is primed for a successful sophomore campaign after an up-and-down first season in 2021.
“Looking at Trevor Lawrence and his on-field play, he just looked like he was a tick behind [last season], and you see that with a lot of young players, quarterbacks as well, even when you’re that highly regarded,” Butler said. “So, I think with Doug Pederson coming in, he’ll make a huge step in his second year. You can still see the talent there. He still has the arm strength. He still can make the throws. He’s still athletic as hell, but now you have more weapons around him.”
Butler played nine seasons in the NFL and played with a couple of all-time quarterback talents in Tom Brady and Andrew Luck, so he knows what it will take from the former Clemson signal-caller to be great.
In his rookie year, Lawrence completed 59.6% of his passes for 3,641 yards, 12 touchdowns and 17 interceptions. As Butler mentioned, adding Doug Pederson, who’s a proven head coach, will provide a level of stability that Lawrence didn’t have with Urban Meyer last season.
With Pederson’s arrival, Travis Etienne’s return from injury and a more complete receiving corp, Lawrence has the tools to live up to Butler’s prediction.
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