Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence a close call on NFL Media's 2023 Superstar Club

Trevor Lawrence came out of college with lots of name recognition after leading the Clemson Tigers to a National Championship win. He's now leaving his mark in the pros as the quarterback of the Jacksonville Jaguars, barely missing the cut in the 2023 NFL Superstar Club.

Dan Hanzus of NFL Media put together a team made of the league's premiere players ahead of the 2023 season and thought about including Lawrence. However, he gave a good reason for leaving him out and instead opted to include Josh Allen, Joe Burrow, Justin Herbert, Jalen Hurts, Lamar Jackson, Patrick Mahomes, and Aaron Rodgers.

"We try not to project superstars in this exercise -- you have to earn it with proof, not promise. Still, Trevor Lawrence gave me pause. We watched him make the leap to franchise quarterback QB in Year 2 with better coaching and an improved supporting cast. "

Hanzus goes on to say that Lawrence has a realistic shot at making the club next year but needs to see more consistency from him.

Is Herbert better than Lawrence? Maybe but probably not. Then again, Herbert has been held back by less-than-optimal coaching. Similarly, Lamar Jackson has missed lots of time with injuries over the last two years and hasn't been as effective as he was in his MVP campaign in 2019. Also, Aaron Rodgers is seemingly more interested in talking about his hobbies than getting ready for the football season.

Having said that, most of the quarterbacks Hanzus picked have had different level of success in the league. Meanwhile, Lawrence is coming off a highly productive season but needs to prove he can do it on a cosistent basis.

The good news is that there are several reasons Lawrence should be able to pick up where he left off last year. For starters, he just scratched the surface of his ceiling and still has room for improvement. Entering Year 2 of the Doug Pederson era, the young passer should have a better grasp of the offense. Also, the addition of Calvin Ridley to the wide receiver corps could turn the Jaguars' passing game into one of the top five in the league.

Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence is trending up ahead of the 2023 season

Rightfully, Trevor Lawrence has been getting the spotlight often in the past few months, and rightfully so. Besides playing a huge role in Jacksonville winning the AFC South and making the playoffs in 2022, he showed resilience against the Los Angeles Chargers in Super Wild Card after overcoming four early-game interceptions to come on top.

Now, Lawrence is frequently cracking the top 10 in nearly every ranking. Similarly, he'll make the cut in lists of best players under 25 in the NFL while also putting on display his marketability and that's the thing. He's just getting started. The third-year quarterback was solid early in the 2022 season but he didn't really turn the switch on until the second half. Coincidentally, the Jaguars began a winning streak.

In 2023, Lawrence will have a chance to cement his place as one of the five best quarterbacks in the league. If gets off to strong start to the regular season and the Jacksonville Jaguars win games, they'll get the attention they've been lacking for a while. Also, it will be hard to leave him out of next year's NFL Superstar Club.

Here are other recent Jaguars stories that you might also like: