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Steve Young Says Lawrence Should Consider Returning to Clemson

NFL Hall of Famer and former 49ers quarterback Steve Young says Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence should strongly consider returning to school next season to avoid being drafted by the New York Jets.

With each passing week the New York Jets move that much closer to securing the top pick in the next NFL Draft. 

Trevor Lawrence from Clemson is expected by many to be the first player taken next April and with the Jets looking like they will be the team on the clock, the number of analysts advising the junior quarterback to avoid the franchise at all costs is growing at a rapid pace. 

On Monday night, NFL Hall of Fame member and former 49ers quarterback Steve Young added his name to that growing list, saying on ESPN's Monday Night Countdown that if he were in Lawrence's shoes, he would seriously consider returning to school.

"Right now, the way the Jets are, I might think about going back to school," Young said. "Because I don’t want to spend my career trying to carry a team on my back."

The Jets have arguably been the NFL's worst franchise over the past decade or so. Young says that it would be a mistake for Lawrence to think he alone, is the guy capable of turning the struggling franchise around.

“Don’t go to a team that you know is not going to be good for a long time and think, ‘Oh, I can put them on my back,’” Young said. "Peyton Manning and Troy Aikman were two guys who joined bad teams, but there were already building blocks. They already had a plan. The Jets don’t look like a team with a plan.”

Lawrence is considered by most to be one of the best quarterback prospects to come along since Andrew Luck. He looks to have a bright future ahead of him. 

However, Young says going to the wrong team is one of the quickest ways a talented quarterback can have his career prematurely cut short and that for evidence, look no further than Sam Darnold, who the Jets took third overall in 2018.

"Trevor Lawrence, you want him to play for 15 years,” Young said. "Sam Darnold did it, and is his career flourishing? Absolutely not. Is it possible that Sam Darnold is out of the NFL in three years? Could you imagine that? Yeah, I could imagine that. I doubt it, but what I’m saying is if you come out to the wrong place, with no help, you could have your career severely limited when you want to play 10 or 15 years.”

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