Trevor Lawrence Breathes a sigh of Relief
By: Michael Serio
Tags: Games, NFL, Football, Competition, Covid 19

The New York Jets won a Football Game

What is more impressive… going 16–0 or 0–16?

I would argue it is the latter.

The New York Jets avoid the possibility of going 0–16 with their pointless victory over the Rams yesterday. With the victory, the Jets are now tied with the Jacksonville Jaguars for the worst record in the NFL at 1–13 which also means they are tied for the rights to draft Clemson’s star quarterback, Trevor Lawrence.

The final two games of the season will determine which team will get the 1st overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft and the opportunity to change the trajectory of their franchise. Both the Jets and Jaguars are desperate for a quarterback and have been for years as is the case for many other franchises around the NFL. Finding your franchise quarterback is not an easy task, and while having the #1 overall pick will give you the best opportunity, it is not always a sure thing.

The Jets will finish the season with matchups against the Cleveland Browns at home and on the road in New England to take on the Patriots. The Jaguars take on the Chicago Bears at home and finish on the road against the Colts.

If everything holds to form through the final two weeks of the NFL season, the Jaguars will own the #1 pick by virtue of a tiebreaker. The Cincinnati Bengals are also in the mix for the #1 pick for a second straight season, but the chance of them jumping to #1 with two weeks remaining in the season are slim.

The quarterback position has dominated the Heisman trophy in College and the MVP award in the NFL. The 2021 NFL draft class boasts four top tier quarterbacks that NFL teams have been clamoring over. The first being Trevor Lawrence out of Clemson. After he is off the board, the next three could go in any order. There is Justin Fields out of Ohio State, Zach Wilson from BYU, and Trey Lance from North Dakota State. It will be interested to see the order in which these three quarterbacks are drafted. A few years down the line, we could have another 2017 QB draft class scenario where we are asking ourselves how one particular team passed up on this guy or that guy.

While it seems inevitable that Trevor Lawrence will go #1 to either Jacksonville or the Jets, there is still the possibility that he returns to Clemson for his senior season. We have seen this in the past with top tier college quarterbacks ‘Strong arming’ their way to a different team by threatening to return to school if a certain team lands the number one pick. I could see Trevor Lawrence making the move to return to school to avoid playing for the Jets or Jaguars. While I think the chances are slim, the possibility is certainly on the table.

It would be a major risk if Trevor Lawrence were to play out his senior season at Clemson rather than cashing in and entering the NFL draft. As unfortunate as it is, injuries do happen, and with the way 2020 has gone, Trevor Lawrence should look to secure his future sooner rather than later.

It should be a fun end to the season between the Jets and Jaguars to see who lands the #1 overall pick and whether Trevor Lawrence makes the decision to return to school or enter his name into the 2021 NFL draft.