What If Trevor Could Go Pro Now?

Photo+courtesy+of+Russell+Andrews

Photo courtesy of Russell Andrews

Ryan McCrary, Writer

After the Clemson Tigers defeated the Alabama Crimson Tide on January 7, Trevor Lawrence became the first true freshman quarterback to lead his team to a national championship since 1985. Lawrence dominated in this year’s playoffs throwing for 674 yards and six touchdowns in the two games. Lawrence shined on the biggest stage, but this is just the beginning. Many people are looking towards the 2021 draft where Trevor Lawrence will be eligible to enter the NFL draft.

 

The rule states that a player must be three years removed from high school to enter the NFL draft. What if that wasn’t the case? What if the once in a lifetime quarterback could enter the draft right now? Lets see.

 

Right now Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins is the number one quarterback prospect. With Trevor Lawrence entering the draft, Haskins is no longer the number one quarterback. A majority of NFL draft analysts would have Lawrence as the number one quarterback with Dwayne Haskins and Daniel Jones behind him as the number two and number three quarterback prospects.

 

Here’s what the top twenty picks (non playoff teams) of the 2019 NFL draft look like:

  1. Arizona Cardinals
  2. San Francisco 49ers
  3. New York Jets
  4. Oakland Raiders
  5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
  6. New York Giants
  7. Jacksonville Jaguars
  8. Detroit Lions
  9. Denver Broncos
  10. Buffalo Bills
  11. Cincinnati Bengals
  12. Green Bay Packers
  13. Miami Dolphins
  14. Atlanta Falcons
  15. Washington Redskins
  16. Carolina Panthers
  17. Cleveland Browns
  18. Minnesota Vikings
  19. Tennessee Titans
  20. Pittsburgh Steelers

There are six teams that are in need of a quarterback: the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New York Giants, Jacksonville Jaguars, Denver Broncos, Washington Redskins (depending on Alex Smith’s future), and Miami Dolphins. Here are the three most likely scenarios that could happen if Trevor could enter the 2019 NFL Draft.

 

Scenario One: Giants trade into the top 3 and draft Trevor Lawrence

The Giants would be willing to trade a lot to get a quarterback. The Eli Manning era in New York is over and the Giants could send a few picks and possibly a player to one of the teams with a top three pick. The Giants would have to trade the number six pick this year and either another first round pick or two second round picks to get into the top three.

 

Scenario Two: Jaguars trade with the Cardinals for the number one pick

Trevor Lawrence is such a hot commodity that any team could take a chance on him even if they don’t necessarily need a quarterback. Here the Jaguars could send the seventh pick, their 2020 first round pick, and another pick to the Cardinals. They could also possibly trade Jalen Ramsey to the Cardinals if they want to try and keep their first round pick this year.

 

Scenario Three: Cardinals draft Trevor Lawrence and trade Josh Rosen to the New England Patriots

This scenario is the most interesting and possibly the most likely. There has been speculation that the Cardinals could potentially draft Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray with the first pick this year. They would then trade Josh Rosen, who struggled during his rookie year, to the Patriots for a couple of picks so they can get pieces for their horrendous roster. This may sound crazy, but this could seriously happen.

 

Best Fit: Giants and Buccaneers

The teams who are best fits for Trevor Lawrence and actually have a shot at getting him are the Giants and Buccaneers. The Giants’ have a roster that provides Lawrence with a lot of playmakers. Pairing Lawrence with Saquon Barkley, Odell Beckham Jr., and Evan Engram is a dream come true. The only thing that worries me about the Giants is their defense, but even then they have some solid players on that side of the ball. Adding Lawrence would rejuvenate the Giants’ offense and could make them playoff contenders again. Like the Giants, the Buccaneers have a lot of playmakers on offense. Putting Lawrence together with Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Adam Humphries and O.J Howard would create a phenomenal high octane offense. Give the Bucs a running back and a fast receiver to replace Desean Jackson and BOOM they could contend in the NFC South again.

 

Worst Fit: Arizona Cardinals

The Cardinals have the worst roster in the league and the only positive thing about their offense is running back David Johnson. Enough said.

 

Where Does Trevor Land: Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jaguars have the most to give in a trade for the number one pick, and I think the Cardinals would take a combination of high picks over drafting Trevor Lawrence. Imagine if the Jaguars could trade Jalen Ramsey for the first pick and get Trevor, then get either Georgia cornerback Deandre Baker or Arizona State wide receiver N’Keal Harris at number seven. It is a great trade for the Jaguars to get a franchise quarterback and a playmaker at either wide receiver or cornerback with the seventh pick. It also allows the Cardinals to get multiple draft picks they can use to reload their roster with good young talent.