Who is Trevor Lawrence, the QB picked by the Jaguars in the NFL Draft 2021?

The Jacksonville Jaguars are one of four teams still alive in the AFC playoffs in the 2022 NFL season and will face the Kansas City Chiefs in the Divisional Round this Saturday. Much of the credit for that goes to quarterback Trevor Lawrence and the success he’s had in his second pro season.

Trevor Lawrence’s college football career with Clemson

The Jaguars entered the 2021 Draft with the first overall pick and the chance to draft Trevor Lawrence, a prodigy quarterback from the Clemson Tigers. His college career ended after three years at Memorial Stadium when he decided to forego his senior year and enter into the NFL Draft instead. Lawrence finished his career at Clemson with 10,098 yards with 90 touchdowns and 17 interceptions on 66.6% completion. In 2020, he was named the ACC Player of the Year and led the Tigers to victory in the CFP Championship Game against the Alabama Crimson Tide.

During his three seasons in college football, Lawrence clocked up 36 starts, with a record of 34-2 and 90 passing touchdowns. Lawrence ranked joint first in the NCAA Division in TD passes, and second in yards (10,098), total yards (11,041) and total TDs (108). He was also the only college QB to record 10-plus deep TD passes in each of the past three campaigns.

Lawrence came second in the voting for the Heisman Trophy behind Alabama wide receiver DeVonta Smith (who was the Philadelphia Eagles’ draft pick). Lawrence is the first-ever Clemson player to be selected in the top three of the NFL draft, and the fourth overall. At 6-6 and 213 pounds, Lawrence put together all the intangibles, physical and technical issues to be the ‘Prince Who Was Promised’, the one in charge of saving the Jacksonville franchise from decline.

Lawrence’s two contrasting seasons in the NFL

Lawrence’s first season in the NFL was not easy. The management put Urban Meyer as head coach and the scandals were recurring until his firing after Week 13. In addition to the learning curve, Lawrence did not have the support of his teammates and was the leader of the worst offense in the league. The Jaguars finished the year with a 3-14 record, worst in the NFL, and Lawrence had 3,641 yards with 12 touchdown passes. In addition, he was the quarterback who threw the most interceptions (17).

2022 was different for Lawrence and the Jaguars thanks to the arrival of Doug Pederson as head coach. The quarterback doubled his number of touchdowns (12 to 25) and halved his interceptions (17 to eight) between his rookie year and his second year in the NFL. Along with that, he generated 4,113 passing yards and another 291 rushing. Another factor that helped his development was having a healthy Travis Etienne Jr. as a reliable option in the backfield.

In Jaguars history, Mark Brunnell holds all franchise records after being QB1 in eight seasons. The 25,698 yards and 144 touchdown passes he racked up between 1995 and 2003 seem like easily achievable marks for Lawrence.

Lawrence’s contract

Lawrence’s signed a 4-year rookie contract (with the option for a fifth year), which will keep him tied with the Jaguars franchise through the end of the 2025 season. The franchise will do everything to keep him because if they don’t get an extension, he will be an unrestricted free agent for the 2026 season.

Lawrence early years and personal life

Lawrence was born in Knoxville, Tennessee on October 6, 1999. He attended Cartersville High School in Cartersville, Georgia, where he played football and basketball, and was named USA Today High School Football Player of the Year in 2017.

One of three children of Jeremy and Amanda Lawrence, Trevor is a devout christian who married his high-school sweetheart, Marissa Mowry, at a chapel in Bluffton, South Carolina last year.

Trevor Lawrence: career highlights and awards