2021 NFL Mock Draft: Trevor Lawrence tank pays off for Jaguars, Trey Lance to Raiders

Tanking for Trevor Lawrence lands the Jaguars a franchise quarterback in this 2021 NFL Mock Draft while the Raiders tab Trey Lance to lead in Las Vegas.

Trevor Lawrence is the ultimate prize in the 2021 NFL Draft. Any team that has even the slightest need at quarterback likely has their eyes on the Clemson superstar. And while “tanking” is the taboo word in the NFL, saying that Lawrence is worth tanking for isn’t a far stretch of the imagination. So at the top of this early 2021 NFL mock draft and every subsequent projection, it’s all about who wins the proverbial “Tank for Trevor”.

Of course, Lawrence isn’t the only top-tier prospect that will be available in the 2021 NFL Draft. In fact, he isn’t the only elite quarterback in the class as Ohio State’s Justin Fields certainly will have his claim while Georgia’s Jamie Newman, Minnesota’s Tanner Morgan, Iowa State’s Brock Purdy and even North Dakota State’s Trey Lance will all have suitors early by my estimation.

So what does that mean for this mid-May edition of a 2021 NFL mock draft? Obviously, we haven’t even had a preseason game played in the 2020 NFL or college football seasons. But as things stand now in terms of projected records and where we are with these prospects (with a little projection mixed in for them as well), this is how each team can improve their future in the 2021 NFL Draft.

This 2021 NFL mock draft was compiled using the NFL Mock Draft Database simulator.

Trevor Lawrence is already among the all-time great quarterback prospects in the NFL Draft and he hasn’t touched the field in his junior season with the Clemson Tigers. That’s how impressive he’s been from the moment he was a high school recruit up until now. He’s absolutely everything that an NFL team could need under center.

As the No. 1 recruit in the 2018 class, it should come as no surprise that Lawrence is the physical prototype at the position. He’s 6-6, 220 pounds with a great, long, built frame. Furthermore, he has elite throwing mechanics to go with athleticism, which he put on display in a big way during his sophomore season.

Some may wonder why Lawrence hasn’t been burning up the record books at Clemson but he’s still thrown for 6,945 yards, 66 touchdowns and only 12 interceptions with a 65.5 percent completion rate over two seasons — even without starting the first four games as a freshman. Moreover, he’s also had a first-round caliber running back to feed in the offense.

Though the Jacksonville Jaguars clearly want to see more from Jacksonville Jaguars, they shouldn’t let a good player hinder them from getting a great player. Lawrence has superstar potential and they could possibly trade Minshew to help out the rest of a rebuilding roster. That would be a tremendous step forward for the franchise.