No. 20 NFL quarterback in 2022: Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars
What has 2021 number one overall pick Trevor Lawrence done in the NFL so far?
Nothing, really.
Is he a top 20 quarterback in the NFL right now?
Probably not, but part of this list involves some projecting. I think Lawrence is going to make huge strides this coming season for one primary reason — coaching.
I don’t think it can be overstated just how toxic of an environment it was in Jacksonville last year with Urban Meyer as the head coach.
In hindsight, the Jaguars are lucky that Meyer didn’t try to pull a fast one on everyone and take someone other than Lawrence with the top pick.
Considered a “generational” prospect coming out of Clemson, Lawrence didn’t exactly live up to the hype as a rookie, coaching or not.
Although the “generational” term is way too loosely thrown around these days, there were certainly times when you watched Lawrence play at Clemson where you saw an athletic version of Peyton Manning out there.
With Doug Pederson now in place as the Jaguars’ head coach, Lawrence has a chance to really thrive. I’m not sure the Jaguars did everything they needed to do at the wide receiver position to really make substantial upgrades, but perhaps the combination of Christian Kirk, Zay Jones, and Evan Engram will be better as a group than its individual parts.
I still really like Lawrence’s projection moving forward to the 2022 season and I think he’ll end up solidifying a top 20 spot when all is said and done.