Trevor Lawrence Has All the Traits to Be a Franchise Quarterback for Jacksonville
One of the biggest locks we've seen in the NFL Draft in years was that Trevor Lawrence would go first overall to the Jacksonville Jaguars, as he was listed at -50000 on FanDuel Sportsbook to be the top pick.
Now it's official.
The @Jaguars select Trevor Lawrence with the No. 1 pick in the 2021 #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/HHdvuYGM3N
— FanDuel (@FanDuel) April 30, 2021
Lawrence, by all accounts, has a lot of the traits to be a franchise passer in the NFL. How does he compare to former prospects, and how does he project in 2021?
Trevor Lawrence Player Comparisons
numberFire's JJ Zachariason and Jim Sannes break down Lawrence's profile, and Jim gives his top comparison for Lawrence.
-- Young
-- Efficient
-- Experienced
Trevor Lawrence checks all the boxes for an ideal NFL QB prospect, which is why @JimSannes compares the 2021 No. 1 overall pick to Andrew Luck #DUUUVAL | #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/pggCiyNK3Q
— FanDuel (@FanDuel) April 30, 2021
Brandon Gdula's draft database has found these 10 prior prospects to have the most similar statistical profiles to Lawrence. Keep in mind that these are based not on play style or traits but age, athleticism, draft equity, experience, efficiency, and production.
| Trevor Lawrence Profile Comparisons | Similarity |
|---|---|
| Baker Mayfield | 88.6% |
| Marcus Mariota | 87.9% |
| Andrew Luck | 87.6% |
| Alex Smith | 85.8% |
| Joe Burrow | 85.3% |
| Blake Bortles | 84.6% |
| Cam Newton | 84.5% |
| Justin Herbert | 84.0% |
| Carson Wentz | 82.9% |
| Zach Wilson | 82.6% |
Gdula's Take: There's not a whole lot to add to the discourse here, but Lawrence has high-end comps and good age-adjusted experience. Profiles don't get much better than this.
Lawrence's 2021 Fantasy Football Projections
Zachariason's initial 2021 projections for Lawrence include 4,356 passing yards, 27.2 touchdowns and 14.4 interceptions, making him the QB15 for the 17-game season.
Don't sleep on Lawrence's rushing ability, either, which is no small matter in fantasy. Lawrence had 17 total rushing tuddies across his final two seasons at Clemson, and Zachariason projects him for 264 rushing yards and 1.4 scores in 2021.
In Jacksonville, Lawrence has a supporting cast that is highlighted by D.J. Chark, Marvin Jones, Laviska Shenault and James Robinson. The Jaguars are listed at +10000 to win the Super Bowl on FanDuel Sportsbook and have a win total projection of 6.5 (with the under listed at -133) on FOX Bet.
