2021 NFL Draft: Applying Bill Parcells’ quarterback rules to QB class

Trevor Lawrence, Clemson Tigers

• Be a three-year starter: Yes
• Be a senior in college: No
• Graduate from college: Yes
• Start 30 games: Yes (40)
• Win 23 games: Yes (38)
• Post a 2-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio: Yes (90:17)
• Complete at least 60 percent of passes thrown: Yes (66.6%)

Criteria met: 6/7

It’s no secret Lawrence is the top quarterback in the 2021 NFL Draft. All signs point to the former Clemson Tiger being selected number one overall by the Jacksonville Jaguars. Bill Parcells’ quarterback rules only further confirm Lawrence is the top quarterback in this class. Of the seven criteria, Lawrence met six. The only criteria Lawrence doesn’t meet is being a senior in college, which may be the least important criteria out of the seven.

Among all the quarterbacks we’re looking at, Lawrence has started and won the most games. He’s also thrown the most touchdown passes, and not by a small number. Lawrence threw 21 more touchdowns than the next best guy on our list. Then there’s the fact that Lawrence won a National Championship with the Tigers. The former Clemson quarterback did nothing but win games in college, and there’s no reason to believe he won’t continue his success in the NFL. As long as they select Lawrence first overall, the Jaguars will win the 2021 NFL Draft.

Zach Wilson, BYU Cougars

• Be a three-year starter: Yes
• Be a senior in college: No
• Graduate from college: No
• Start 30 games: No (28)
• Win 23 games: No (19)
• Post a 2-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio: Yes (56:15)
• Complete at least 60 percent of passes thrown: Yes (67.6%)

Criteria met: 3/7

Lawrence is the clear-cut top quarterback in the 2021 NFL Draft, but some scouts are saying Wilson isn’t too far off. However, if we’re strictly going by Bill Parcells’ quarterback rules, there’s a big difference between the two. Lawrence meets all but one of the criteria, while Wilson only meets three. One of the biggest differences I see is their records and accomplishments. Lawrence made it to the College Football Playoff every season in college, and he won a championship. He only lost two games as the starter.

Wilson really only had one great season in college, which was this past season, when the Cougars went 11-1. Prior to that, Wilson posted records of 4-5 as a sophomore and 4-3 as a freshman as the starting quarterback. That’s a combined record of 8-8 leading up to his final year. He has experience as a starter, but he didn’t win a lot of games until his final year at BYU.

I’m not saying Wilson isn’t going to be a good NFL quarterback. I think he has tons of potential. However, I do think there’s a bit of a gap between him and Lawrence. Bill Parcells’ quarterback rules back that up.