Trevor Lawrence seen as second-year breakout candidate in 2022

No position in the NFL has a bigger impact on the field than quarterback, so the Jacksonville Jaguars should feel comfortable about their future knowing Trevor Lawrence is on the roster. Although the former Clemson Tiger had a rough rookie campaign, he’s a prime candidate to make a big leap in Year 2.

Michael Renner of Pro Football Focus recently put together a list of second-year players poised for a breakout season in 2022 and Lawrence was one of several players that made the cut. He believes the Jaguars quarterback’s inclusion on the list was a no-brainer and cites his strong performance against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 18 of the 2021 season as a reason why. Renner notes that Lawrence had landed in a less than optimal situation last year but should be in a position to succeed in 2022.

"File this one under “no duh.” Look no further than an 85.1 passing grade in an upset win over the Indianapolis Colts and their top-10 defense in Week 18 to see what Lawrence is capable of. Outside of that, there really wasn’t too much in the way of positive takeaways from his rookie season. Between one of the ugliest coaching situations in recent memory and a banged-up supporting cast, Lawrence wasn’t put in near the situation to succeed that he should be in this upcoming season."

Jaguars safety Andre Cisco also popped up on the list and regarding his appearance, Renner says the former Syracuse Orangeman was one of Jacksonville’s best defenders over the last three games of the season. He believes his playmaking skills will show up in 2022.

The Jaguars have a building block in Trevor Lawrence.

The Jaguars were the only team that had two potential breakout candidates on Renner’s list. Just like Trevor Lawrence, Cisco showed flashes of his playmaking prowess as a rookie, earning the highest Pro Football Focus overall grades among 2021 third-round picks last season.

Selecting Lawrence with the first overall pick in last year’s draft was an important step the Jaguars had to make to start winning games, something they have struggled to do over the last 11 seasons. However, the organization failed to surround him with enough talent to succeed as a rookie and the former coaching staff didn’t have a clear path to develop him. Thus, it wasn’t shocking that Jacksonville made his developing the number one priority during their most recent head coaching search, which culminated in the hire of Doug Pederson.

Pederson has a proven track record of winning games and developing quarterbacks. Both attributes made him the right choice as the Jaguars’ next head coach. He already said that he will take advantage of Lawrence’s strengths but also provide him with the right tools to help him grow.

Trevor Lawrence already showed he has the talent to play quarterback at a high level it’s now up to the Jaguars to get the most out of him. They got him a head coach in Pederson, now they need to give him weapons.