When it comes to the first pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, there haven’t been many contrarians. Almost universally, Jacksonville is expected to take Trevor Lawrence, the former Clemson quarterback who has been dubbed the best prospect at the position since Andrew Luck in 2012.
But as the draft begins to approach, several national analysts aren’t quite sold on Lawrence and his advertised generational talent. On ESPN’s “Get Up,” NFL Draft scout Matt Miller stated that some evaluators around the league are pumping the brakes on Lawrence’s outlook while Ryan Clark echoed those sentiments.
https://youtu.be/qrzeswOsnhw
Miller added that evaluators are comparing Zach Wilson to arguably the league’s best player, Patrick Mahomes, who excels in working off platform and has unreal arm strength, thus explaining why some feel he’s better than Lawrence. He also added that Lawrence’s style of play (tall, strong-armed, drop-back passer) is going out of fashion in the NFL.
Clark agreed, saying that he keeps going back to Lawrence’s performance when facing Joe Burrow in the national championship last season and Justin Fields in the playoff semifinal this season.
With not much drama surrounding the beginning of the draft this season, it isn’t surprising that those who have concerns about Lawrence are vocalizing them. Both analysts seem to prefer Wilson, who ran a West Coast wide zone offense in college that resembles many of the novel offenses in the NFL.
Despite this dissent, it almost certainly won’t affect the decision Jacksonville makes. Lawrence will be coming to Duval.
The only question is, will he be able to prove to doubters like Miller and Clark that he’s the generational talent many believe him to be.