Trevor Lawrence unfairly slighted by Aaron Rodgers in NFL's Top 100 ranking

Trevor Lawrence is coming off a somewhat underwhelming season but certainly did more than enough to earn consideration as one of the top players in the league. The NFL seems to agree, as they've included the Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback in their top-100 list. However, it was a bit puzzling to see him get a lower spot than Aaron Rodgers.

The league revealed Nos. 100 to 81 in their Top 100 players of 2024, and Lawrence popped up at No. 94. Meanwhile, Aaron Rodgers got the 92th spot. Kirk Cousins, who signed with the Atlanta Falcons, in free agency landed at No. 91.

So far, Lawrence is the only Jaguars player who has appeared in the countdown. It's also worth noting that he was the only one who made the cut in last year's list. That said, there's still plenty of time for others to earn a spot. Defensive end Josh Hines-Allen and tight end Evan Engram have a strong case.

Lawrence, the first overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft, got the generational talent label coming out of college. However, he had an underwhelming rookie season, completing less than 60 percent of his passes while throwing 17 interceptions and just 14 touchdowns. Then again, most of his struggles were due to having a subpar supporting cast and Urban Meyer not having an idea of what he was doing.

The Jags fired Meyer near the end of 2021 and later hired Doug Pederson to take his place. With a new head coach in place, Lawrence saw a noticeable improvement and played like a top-10 quarterback to end his sophomore campaign. Heading into 2023, he was expected to solidify his spot as one of the best signal-callers in the league. Unfortunately, injuries prevented the former Clemson Tiger to take the next step.

Working in his favor is that Lawrence is now healthy. Moreover, the Jaguars have made upgrades to his supporting cast, so he should have no trouble bouncing back next season (and probably have a higher spot in next year's rankings).

Why Trevor Lawrence deserves a higher spot than Aaron Rodgers

There's no doubt Aaron Rodgers was one of the best, if not the best, NFL quarterbacks of the 2010s. That said, he didn't do much of note last year. Four snaps into the opener, he tore his Achilles and spent the year watching from the sidelines. As a matter of fact, the four-time league MVP has mostly gotten the spotlight because of his off-field shenanigans.

Rodgers teased a potential return in 2023 but ultimately missed the season. Heading into training camp, he says that his Achilles feels good, noting that it also felt good at the end of last year.

It's uncertain if Rodgers will be at full strength to start the regular season, but the New York Jets should be encouraged by his recovery. Nevertheless, it's hard to justify giving him a higher spot than Trevor Lawrence in the top 100 rankings, unless you're taking past accomplishments into account. If that's the case, the rankings aren't really about the top 100 players of 2024.

Ultimately, you will be hard-pressed to find someone who'll 100 percent agree with the Top 100 rankings. Heck, some fans or analysts or fans may argue that Trevor Lawrence wasn't deserving of a spot. Still, it's great to see him represent the Jacksonville Jaguars in the countdown.

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