Clemson Legend Trevor Lawrence Finally Seems to Be Getting It

When he left the Clemson Tigers after the 2020 campaign, Trevor Lawrence was viewed as one of the best quarterback prospects ever.

Standing 6-foot-6 and weighing 220 pounds with a cannon for an arm and terrific mobility, it was hard to find anything not to like about Lawrence.

He had all of the tools needed to become an elite — if not an all-time great — quarterback, and he seemed like as sure of a thing as you could find for an NFL prospect.

The Jacksonville Jaguars ultimately selected Lawrence with the No. 1 overall pick of the 2021 NFL Draft. However, Lawrence's rookie campaign did not go according to plan, as he threw for 12 touchdowns and a league-worst 17 interceptions.

After coming alive during the second half of Year 2, leading the Jaguars to a shocking AFC South division title and a thrilling comeback playoff win in the Wild Card Round, Lawrence fell back into the doldrums in 2023 and 2024.

Lawrence was beginning to approach bust territory until finally breaking through last season, when he threw for 4,007 yards and 29 touchdowns, guiding Jacksonville to a 13-win campaign. But even then, he completed just 60.9 percent of his passes.

This year, though, the Clemson legend finally appears to be getting it.

Lawrence has totaled 1,174 yards, 10 touchdowns and three picks while completing 67.1 percent of his throws through five games. He owns a 106.8 passer rating, by far a career high. And the Jaguars are 3-1.

Does the 27-year-old still have work to do? Sure. He's turned the ball over in three of his first five contests, and he had a dud in Week 2 against the Denver Broncos when he went 17-for-29 with 189 yards and an interception.

But you can tell that Lawrence has made significant progress and no longer looks like the pedestrian signal-caller we saw in Years 3 and 4.

We know how good Lawrence was at Clemson. He led the Tigers to a national championship during his freshman season and then finished within the top five of Heisman Trophy voting in 2019 and 2020. He came in at No. 2 in the latter campaign, and that was after missing two games.

He hasn't quite reached that level in the NFL just yet, and for a while, it looked like Lawrence was destined to become a mid-tier quarterback. But little by little, the Knoxville, Tn. native is bucking that trend.

Lawrence still has a long way to go to meet his initial expectations, but there is no question that he is improving.