Trevor Lawrence gets promising ranking among AFC QBs

With the addition of Russel Wilson, Deshaun Watson, and now Matt Ryan, the already remarkable group of AFC quarterbacks just keeps on getting better. The draining of quarterback talent from the NFC to the AFC through the free agency pipeline has brought upon an odd mix of young and old QBs looking for redemption for the previous season. And in the middle of it all is Jacksonvile Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence.

Sayre Bedinger of NFL Spinzone ranked every quarterback in the AFC in 2022 following all the free agency movements prior to the Matt Ryan trade and Trevor Lawrence placed dead center, nabbing the 8th spot.

Diving into the entire rankings list, Bedinger believes that Lawrence is well above Baker Mayfield, Ryan Tannehill, Zach Wilson, Tua Tagavailoa, Davis Mills, Mitch Trubisky, and Mac Jones. On the flip side, Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen, Derek Carr, Deshaun Watson, Justin Herbert, Joe Burrow, and, Russell Wilson are all seen as better passers than Trevor Lawrence in this AFC QBs superlatives. Bedinger admits that Lawrence’s ranking was more of the result of his projection for the sophomore quarterback rather than his performance in his rookie season.

"Admittedly, this one is a projection. Lawrence did not have a great rookie season for the Jaguars, although he had his moments. It’s hard to look at the situation he was in with the Jaguars and really fault him, though."

It’s only fair that Bedinger gave the Jaguars’ dysfunction the greater share of the blame on why last season didn’t feel as vindicating as the fans would have liked, and Trevor Lawrence the benefit of the doubt.

The Jaguars must be thrilled about Trevor Lawrence in Year 2.

Despite the team imploding due to internal issues, and the lack of weapons, Trevor Lawrence still managed to piece together a passable rookie campaign, posting 3,614 yards, 12 passing touchdowns, and 17 Interceptions. If that wasn’t enough he racked up 334 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns while managing to start every single game for the Jaguars last season. Although his TD-INT ratio is as abysmal as it could get, there’s a silver lining to it. Lawrence has shown that he can and he will sling the ball downfield if given a chance to.

Following the Doug Pederson hiring and the complete hauling of talents through the free agency market, it is only natural for fans to expect a major leap in Lawrence’s game. The signings of Christian Kirk, Zay Jones, and Evan Engram answer the much-needed issue of lack of weapons that they failed to address under Urban Meyer. Moreover, what appears to be a much more important move, the Jaguars also managed to recruit one of the best guards in the league in Brandon Scherff.

In the grand scheme of Football, the room for improvement for Trevor Lawrence and the Jaguars reaches far and wide. Many analysts have already prematurely picked them as the team who would make the biggest leap next season, fielding Cincinnati Bengals comparisons in the process. But for now, it’s safe to say that being in the middle of the pack is where Lawrence aptly belongs and it’s only a matter of time until he is seated with the best in any future quarterback rankings.