NFL.com analyst and former NFL scout Daniel Jeremiah takes a “first look” at some of the best college football players for 2020. This is the eighth in a series of scouting reports to run throughout the season. low.
Clemson’s quarterback Trevor Lawrence is heading into the 2020 season as the face of college football. It is very possible that he will win the CFB triple crown next year: win the Heisman Trophy and the national championship and then become the first overall pick in the NFL draft. I don’t recall as much enthusiasm about a prospect in the quarterback position since Andrew Luck was entering his final season at Stanford in 2011. I recently had the opportunity to study three of Lawrence’s games. Here’s my First Look report:
Height Weight: 6 feet 6 inches, 220 pounds (school measurements).
Statistics 2019: 268 of 407 (65.8 percent) for 3,665 yards, 36 TDs and 8 INTs; 103 carries for 563 yards (5.5 average), 9 touchdowns.
Observed game tape: Texas A&M (September 7, 2019), South Carolina (November 30, 2019), Ohio State (December 28, 2019).
What I liked: Lawrence has an ideal combination of size, athleticism, arm strength, and endurance. It is very urgent in its movement during its fall and uses that abruptness to escape when it is pressed. Lawrence has a compact delivery, but can adjust the angle of his arm and get the ball out even faster when needed. He is capable of driving the ball out of numbers, and he is not afraid to work in the middle of the field either. It shows the ability to place the ball on second level defenders and against third level defenders. Throw with excellent anticipation and time.
The junior signal maker is a creative playmaker when the play is broken and is very dangerous in designed quarterback runs. He’ll drop his shoulder to face the defenders, but his speed is his greatest asset as a runner. His overall competitiveness and endurance are evident in every game I saw. He’ll stay to take big pocket punches and fight for the extra yard as a ball carrier.
Where you need to improve: His most important area to focus on in the 2020 season is his accuracy and ball placement. His completion percentage is very good (65.8%), but that statistic is not always a fair indicator of accuracy at the university level. It has too many deep balls not ejected from the pocket and its location when in motion is uneven. If you work to square your shoulders when it’s out of your pocket, that really should improve your accuracy in that department. Also, I love how fast he gets to the second and third reading in his eye progression, but there are games where his feet are not married to his vision and that affects his accuracy.
The largest takeaway: Lawrence has all the tools necessary to emerge as an elite quarterback at the next level. However, some development is still needed. It doesn’t have the same level of consistency that Luck showed during his time at Stanford. I am not talking about statistics, I am talking about the general command and ownership of each key situation. I think Lawrence can … and be get to that level, but it’s not there yet.
It reminds me of: There really is no comparison for Lawrence because of his unique measurability and athleticism. However, if you look at every starting quarterback in the NFL, I think it compares more favorably to a man who preceded him at Clemson, Deshaun Watson. Both players have a slim and athletic body, and both are capable of making winning plays from inside and outside the pocket. Both can drive the ball effectively and share a competitiveness that is obvious on the treadmill. While they are effective runners, they find success on the ground in different ways. Watson is more evasive, while Lawrence has more pure speed. Watson has become one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, and Lawrence has the advantage of joining him in that group in the near future.
