QB Trevor Lawrence ‘has a chance to be new age Peyton Manning’

The NFL Draft is a crapshoot. For every superstar that comes out of the selection meeting, there are ten prospects that you will never hear about and will be out of the league after just two or three years. Of course, the higher the pick is, the higher the chance of success will be and every now and then, you will hear about a cant’-miss prospect. This year, it was quarterback Trevor Lawrence, whom the Jacksonville Jaguars took with the first overall pick in this year’s draft.

You probably heard that the Clemson product is a generational talent or the most talented quarterback prospect since Andrew Luck or even Peyton Manning. While some of the praise surrounding Lawrence may be hyperbole, nobody will deny he had a successful collegiate career and the skill set to thrive at the pro level.

Nevertheless, it’s too early to anoint him as the next great NFL quarterback since he hasn’t played a down yet. That’s why he doesn’t look out of place in Chris Simm’s top 40 quarterback list.

Simms has been posting his quarterback rankings and Lawrence popped up at number 28. When explaining the former Tiger’s place on the list, the analyst said he has all the skills to play the position. Simms highlighted the fact that Lawrence can scramble, which is different from running. The analyst describes scrambling as escaping when the pocket is closing down. Sims also noted that Lawrence can throw on the move and under pressure. Here’s Simm’s full breakdown

What else did Simms say about Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence?

Simms believes Lawrence has room to improve mechanically. He then goes on to say that the quarterback doesn’t lack any tangibles and brings everything to the table as far as what you want from a starting quarterback. Furthermore, “there’s nothing not to like about his game”. Simms also acknowledged that Lawrence has tightened things up when it comes to mechanics.

Regarding that one day when Lawrence struggled in the red zone, Simms doesn’t think it’s a big deal. After all, adapting to that part of the pro game is the hardest thing for a rookie quarterback. Simms points out that playing in the red zone could feel like you are on a “Pee Wee football” kind of field with how narrow it gets. He was later asked if he thought Lawrence was indeed a generational talent. This is what he had to say.

"I heard like Payton Manning or Andrew Luck, I don’t know if I’m willing to go quite there right yet. There’s a potential to be that kind of guy. Just like I said Zach Wilson has the chance to be Rodgers or Mahomes."

So how does Simms feel about Lawrence?

"Trevor Lawrence has a chance to be a new age Peyton Manning or Andrew Luck that way. Peyton Manning but his evolution 23 years later and he’s a little faster and things like that. That’s always how I look at it. In a lot of ways, he has a similar throwing motion to the Mannings that way."

Why should you listen to what Simms has to say about Trevor Lawrence?

Heading into 2021’s draft, Simms liked BYU quarterback Zach Wilson better than Lawrence, and he still does. However, he believes the latter is the safer pick, “he’s such a safe pick. He’s safer than Zach Wilson”.

Every draft analyst is going to nail some of his picks and miss on others but Simms has been able to identify the best prospects in the last few years. He jumped on the Patrick Mahomes bandwagon before anyone else and called him the most special quarterback talent in that year’s draft. The following year, he chose Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen over Sam Darnold and Baker Mayfield. Both Jackson and Allen are two of the most electrifying young quarterbacks in the NFL now, so it looks like Simms is onto something.

You could argue that Simms has been lucky, but if that’s the case, that’s even more surprising. You could have one pick right, maybe two, but four? That’s the kind of luck that can help you win the lottery. In all seriousness, Simms isn’t just coming up with random stuff. He has performed due diligence and based on his previous evaluations, it’s worth paying attention to what he has to say, even if he thinks Zach Wilson will be the better quarterback down the road.