2021 NFL Draft: Which teams would pass on Trevor Lawrence?
What does this mean for other candidates?
Essentially, if you didn’t just use a first-round pick on a quarterback, your team would likely use the first overall pick on Trevor Lawrence.
In fact, I would only put a really strong emphasis on the Bengals on this list, because there’s nothing guaranteed with guys like Tagovailoa and Herbert. The fact that they were top 10 picks in the most recent draft bodes well for them, but because of what we saw with the Cardinals and Josh Rosen, you just never know.
What does this mean for other teams?
Essentially, if you earn the number one pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, it’s going to be borderline impossible to justify passing on Trevor Lawrence.
New York Giants
Sorry to say it, Daniel Jones, but Lawrence would easily win out in this discussion. If Jones plays the whole season and the Giants get the top pick, it’s more likely than not he had something to do with it.
New York Jets
Sam Darnold was the third overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. It’s not his fault (entirely) that the Jets have stunk so bad while he’s been there, but three years is a large enough sample size to move on from a top pick at QB if an alternative like Lawrence presents itself.
Denver Broncos
Drew Lock has now been hurt in each of his first two NFL seasons. Regardless of the injury situation in Denver, if they lose their way to the top pick, Lock would have to be putting up huge numbers in shootouts in order to keep the top QB spot over Lawrence.
Minnesota Vikings
Kirk Cousins has not lived up to his (now two) massive contracts. The Vikings can get out of Cousins’ current deal as soon as 2022.
What about other teams? The Eagles? Carson Wentz hasn’t played well enough to pass on Trevor Lawrence, and Jalen Hurts is not near the prospect Lawrence is.
Teams like the Saints would probably be just fine with Lawrence as the heir to a veteran QB.
Next. 2021 NFL mock draft update (2 rounds). dark
Detroit, Jacksonville, Carolina — none of these teams would pass on Lawrence over their current situations if they were the owners of the top pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.