Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence lands on ESPN’s list of best 2nd-year players

Trevor Lawrence was slapped with the generational talent label coming out of college but struggled in his first season with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Fortunately, the Jags have put him in a better position to succeed and that has had a positive impact on his development.

The former Clemson Tiger still has a long way to go before the is considered an upper-echelon quarterback but he’s certainly made strides, which is probably why Aaron Schwartz of Football Outsiders included him on his list of best second-year players.

Schwartz wrote an article for ESPN+ (you must have a subscription to read it) and chose Lawrence over Justin Fields. He describes Fields’ running ability as dynamic and game-changing but argues that Lawrence has been the better passer of the two in 2022. Schwartz likes the former’s upside but gave the nod on his list to the latter based on his play throughout the whole season.

On a side note, Rhamondre Stevenson (New England Patriots) got the running back slot but Travis Etienne earned an honorary mention. Schwarts says that Etienne is more productive before contact but Stevenson has better numbers after contact.

Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence has made strides but has room for improvement

There’s no doubt Lawrence has improved in year 2. His completion percentage has improved while his interception rate has decreased. In fact, you will see most analysts and talking heads rank him somewhere between the 15th-20th range. Having said that, he’s far from a finished product and must take advantage of the next seven games to finish the 2022 season strong.

Lawrence has thrown just six interceptions this year but all of them came in the red zone or with the game on the line. Although he’s not the reason the Jags are 3-7, you could make the case they could have won a couple more games had he successfully made a few more throws.

On the bright, Lawrence has been a bit more consistent over the last two weeks. Although Jacksonville fell to the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 10, he made enough plays to keep them in the game, even if it ultimately wasn’t enough.

Head coach Doug Pederson recently told the media Lawrence has learned from his mistakes and takes constructive criticism well. Given the fact that the second-year quarterback hasn’t made a crucial mistake in the last two games, Pederson’s assessment sounds fair.

All things considered, the Jaguars’ should be pleased with Trevor Lawrence’s growth this season and if he keeps improving, they won’t have to worry about the quarterback position in a while.