Trevor Lawrence ranks near the cellar of No. 1 draft picks list

The Jacksonville Jaguars have spent this offseason revamping Trevor Lawrence’s supporting cast because they believe they have a potential franchise quarterback in him. While there’s a good chance the former Clemson Tiger will indeed be their starting signal-caller for years to come, he got a dubious spot in a recent ranking.

CBS Sports recently ranked every No. 1 overall pick in this century and Lawrence popped up at 21, just one spot above former Las Vegas (then Oakland) Raiders quarterback JaMarcus Russell, one of the biggest busts in recent NFL history. Eli Manning landed at the top probably because he was a big reason the New York Giants beat the New England Patriots and won Super Bowls 42 and 46. Cam Newton surprisingly got the second spot even though there are arguably more accomplished passers on the list such as Andrew Luck (No. 5) and Matthew Stafford (No. 3).

Lawrence’s ranking is fair when you take into account that he hasn’t proven much and threw a league-high 17 interceptions as a rookie. However, there’s a good chance he will surpass other fellow top picks soon. It wouldn’t be shocking to see him finish above quarterbacks such as David Carr and Sam Bradford and land in the top 10 sooner rather than later. Here’s the whole list in case you want to take a look at it.

Trevor Lawrence is poised to make a big leap in the 2022 season.

Sure, Lawrence’s 17 interceptions last season are concerning but keep in mind that he was in a less-than-optimal situation. Under Urban Meyer, the Jaguars were a hot mess and there was seemingly no plan to develop their young passer. The fact that Lawrence lacked weapons didn’t help matters.

The Jaguars can’t go back in time and fix everything that went wrong in 2021 but they are ensuring they don’t fail Lawrence once again. They brought in a Super Bowl-winning head coach in Doug Pederson. They have also made several upgrades in free agency and should continue adding difference-makers to both their wide receiver corps and the offensive line in the 2022 NFL Draft.

Moreover, the Jags are putting together a balanced team and aren’t neglecting the defensive side of the ball, meaning that Lawrence won’t have to score 40 points to win.

Would it be great to see Lawrence be at the top of the CBS Sports’ ranking? Sure, but he needs to pay his dues before he can join the upper echelon of NFL quarterbacks. Fortunately, he has the talent and the Jaguars’ support to improve significantly in his second campaign.