This Former Jets Defensive Lineman Thinks New York Is a Great Fit For Trevor Lawrence

Former Jets defensive lineman Leger Douzable gives a few good reasons why Trevor Lawrence would benefit from starting his career with New York

As the Jets losing streak has continued to grow to start this season, so too has the discourse regarding the future of Clemson's quarterback Trevor Lawrence.

Could the presumptive top pick elect to stay at school for another year rather than declaring for the draft simply because the Jets are on pace to pick at No. 1? 

Or would Lawrence consider forcing a trade so even if he's drafted by the Jets in April, he never has to don green and white in the NFL?

Plenty of pundits across sports media have chimed in over the last several weeks. Even Jets legend Joe Namath said he wouldn't be surprised if Lawrence found a way to avoid the Jets next spring.

This take on the matter, however, explains not only why Lawrence and New York would be a good match in 2021, but why playing for the Jets would benefit Lawrence's career moving forward.

Leger Douzable, a former defensive lineman who spent 10 years in the NFL and played for the Jets from 2013 to 2015, believes that Lawrence "would be in a better situation" with the Jets due to the young, talented group of players that New York has to compliment the quarterback.

"We saw [Monday] night that there are complementary receivers, especially [Jamison] Crowder in the slot, [Breshad] Perriman is on a one year deal, but [Denzel] Mims is a guy that's going to be there for the next three or four years and he showed flashes [Monday] night," Douzable told Jake Asman of The Jake Asman Show this week. "You have complimentary receivers, if they stay healthy and on the field, that Trevor Lawrence could potentially work with. And you've got [La'Mical] Perine as the young back in the backfield. I'm sure they'll bring in another back."

READ: Could the Patriots Be a Realistic Destination for Sam Darnold if the Jets Draft Trevor Lawrence?

The weapons Lawrence would have at his disposal going forward are one thing, but in order to find them down the field, he will need time to throw the football.

That in mind, Douzable told Asman that Lawrence would be in a better situation in New York because of rookie left tackle Mekhi Becton.

"You've probably got one of the best young left tackles in all of football in Mekhi Becton," Douzable said. "So Trevor Lawrence, for all intents and purposes, should come to the Jets because he knows he's going to have a left tackle that's going to protect his blind side."

Former Jets DL @LegerDouzable doesn't buy into the idea that Trevor Lawrence would avoid the #Jets in the draft and explains why actually playing for the Jets would be a great fit for Lawrence...

"He would be in a better situation in NY..." pic.twitter.com/qrubq1kNLw

— Jake Asman (@JakeAsman) November 10, 2020

READ: Rookie Mekhi Becton Has Already Shown Why He's the Future of the New York Jets

One concern for Lawrence, after playing for one of the best teams in the country at Clemson, may be how he views New York's future in terms of playoff contention. Sure, all those aforementioned pieces already exist on the Jets roster, but this is presently the worst team in the National Football League.

To Douzable, New York's record this season shouldn't be a deterrent for Lawrence to want to start his career there. After all, the top pick goes to the team with the worst record in the league, that's what the draft is designed to do. There's no way Lawrence would rather choose a city like Jacksonville, for instance, over being the face of a franchise in New York, right?

Other former top picks—like Andrew Luck and Joe Burrow—have been the key to immediately pointing their respective organizations in the right direction. All it takes is the "right quarterback."

"A lot of people thought the Bengals were going to be the worst team in football again and they've showed with the right quarterback, you can get those piece around you to play at a high level and still compete week in and week out," Douzable said. "The Bengals [with Burrow] are a few games away from being maybe a .500 team this year, right? So if you look at it that way, go back even with Andrew Luck. I mean, nobody thought the Colts in his first year were going to make the playoffs. But if you are the right quarterback and you pride on yourself on making everybody better on your team, then you relish that challenge."

For more from Jake Asman and The Jake Asman Show, click here.

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