Where Scouts and Coaches Believe Jaguars' Trevor Lawrence Struggles

Trevor Lawrence's numbers haven't been impressive through 18 starts, but why do those in the NFL believe this is the case?

Two years ago, it was hard to find many -- if any -- critiques of Trevor Lawrence as a quarterback. 

But 18 games into his professional career with the Jacksonville Jaguars has produced three wins, 15 losses, and a host of criticism about the play and development of a player most in the football world tabbed as generational.

Part of that comes with losing. The Jaguars were 3-14 in 2021, finishing as the worst team in the league and one of the most dysfunctional franchises among the sport. Week 1 in 2022 didn't help keep the flames off Lawrence, either, with the Jaguars losing 28-22 on the road after Lawrence threw an ugly game-ending interception and missed an easy touchdown on the first drive. 

But where do NFL personnel actually see Lawrence as struggling after 18 starts? Those who watched the Jaguars weekly last year have their own theories, but according to Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer, some in the NFL have their own. 

"I think young quarterbacks are captives of their own circumstances, good or bad, much more than people acknowledge, and Lawrence’s clearly weren’t good. So I think it’s fine to say that the fair thing to do is take everything that happened last year with a grain of salt," Breer wrote.

"That said, having talked to coaches and scouts who worked against him last year, there was at least one very real concern I’d have, and that’s the feeling that maybe he doesn’t see the field as fast or well as we all would’ve expected. That concern would be compounded by the relatively simple Clemson offense he came from (the learning curve was steep enough coming out for Deshaun Watson that Bill O’Brien retrofitted his offense for him)."

Since Week 1 of the 2021 season, Lawrence ranks among 44 qualifying passers (100 min. attempts): No. 38 in completion %, No. 28 in touchdown passes, No. 3 in interceptions, No. 40 in touchdown %, No. 30 in interception %, No. 40 in quarterback rating, No. 40 in yards per attempt, No. 40 in adjusted yards per attempt, and No. 35 adjusted net yards gained per attempt.

Lawrence completed 24-of-42 passes for 275 yards, a touchdown and an interception in Sunday's loss.

"What we know on Lawrence is he’s got a fantastic big-game résumé from college, he’s got size, plus athleticism and a hose of an arm, and those things can cure a lot of ills," Breer wrote. "But a guy not trusting what he sees, or just not seeing it period, can lead to things in a quarterback that you’re citing—inaccuracy, indecisiveness leading to impulsive play, and confusion."

"Now, I think he is with the right coach at this point, and Doug Pederson has put a good amount of quarterbacking infrastructure around him, with Press Taylor, Mike McCoy and Jim Bob Cooter all a part of the staff in Jacksonville. Pederson’s work history includes all he did with Carson Wentz early in his career (putting in an offense that weaponized his athleticism and got the ball out of his hands quickly) to minimize similar problems."

For what it is worth, Lawrence's vision has been something that Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson has pointed out as a strength in recent weeks. It has been sometimes an unwillingness to get rid of the ball that has hurt Lawrence, but how he sees the field has not been an internal criticism.

"It’s a little of everything. There was some pressure in his face a couple times, movement in the pocket could have been a little better at times, but listen, it’s the NFL, and we ask a lot of our quarterback, of Trevor, and there were some really good things that he did during the game," Pederson said on Monday. "There are some plays he’d love to have back, but I thought overall his vision down the field and what he saw was right on point to what we’re trying to get done.”

"I thought he did a nice job with some of our run-pass, kill, alerts, checks, things like that, managing the game that way," Pederson than said on Wednesday. I thought his vision was good down the field. The nice, deep throw to Christian (Kirk) is what I’m thinking of there. Some of the things he can fix is just get through the progression a bit sooner, maybe throw the ball away a little quicker, maybe take those hits off of him, things like that.”