The pocket collapses as three Alabama defenders chase the quarterback down. Split seconds before being sacked, he launches an immaculate pass to a teammate for the touchdown. The then-19-year-old quietly celebrates and jogs off the field. He still has a game to win.
Not only is Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence one of the best college quarterbacks football has ever seen, but he will undoubtedly become one of the best NFL quarterbacks ever. Lawrence has all the ingredients to become an NFL legend.
Not many freshman quarterbacks have the poise and audacity to beat college football powerhouse Alabama in the national championship. However, Lawrence, now a 20-year-old college sophomore, is unlike any other quarterback we have seen before.
As a freshman, Lawrence went 11-0 as a starter and threw for 3,280 yards with 30 touchdowns and only four interceptions, according to Pro Football Reference. These statistics would be considered outstanding for any college quarterback who played a full season but are even more admirable considering Lawrence did not start Clemson’s first four games. Lawrence ended the season as Pro Football Focus’s highest-graded freshman quarterback of all time.
Lawrence continued his impressive play as a sophomore. According to Pro Football Reference, Lawrence led Clemson to a 14-1 record, throwing for 3,665 yards, 36 touchdowns, and 8 interceptions. He even added a new wrinkle to his game, running for 563 yards and 9 touchdowns on the ground. Lawrence led Clemson to a second consecutive College Football Championship appearance, but suffered his first loss since high school, succumbing to number one ranked Louisiana State University.
When watching Lawrence, one would easily mistake him for an NFL quarterback already. He has the size; he’s 6’6” and 220 lbs. He also has incredible arm strength and protects the football well. These physical gifts lend themselves to Lawrence making plays that are borderline inhuman. He can simply make throws and keep plays alive like no one else in college football. As a result, he has been compared to quarterback greats such as Andrew Luck, Peyton Manning, and John Elway by many analysts. According to ESPN, Lawrence is the most NFL-ready sophomore and one of the most surefire NFL prospects ever.
Sure, some people will look at this year’s College Football Championship and say Lawrence did not show up. People might look at that high-pressure game in which he lost and question how he will handle the pressure of playing in the NFL. Others will point to his early season struggles against unranked teams like Georgia Tech, Texas A&M, and Syracuse. People l say he is overrated, elevated by a Clemson team that is coached by the legendary Dabo Swinney and filled to the brim with NFL-level talent. There have also been many “can’t miss” quarterback prospects in the past who simply never translated their skills to the next level, like Tim Tebow and Johnny Manziel. But, make no mistake, this kid has what it takes to be one of the greatest to ever play the game.
Lawrence is hungry to play and loves the game. He recently said that he would never sit out bowl games to prevent injury as many recent NFL prospects have. When asked what his goal is, he will tell you with fierce determination that he wants to be the best to ever play quarterback. He does not want to follow in anyone else’s footsteps and be the next Luck, Manning, or Elway. He wants to be Trevor Lawrence. 
Lawrence is any NFL general manager’s dream: a franchise quarterback who has both the tangibles and the intangibles. He works his ass off, he is coachable, he does not have a big ego, and he has the talent, confidence, and game intelligence to make plays that others just simply cannot.
No moment is too big for him. He has been in the spotlight since high school and has not let the bright lights get too big for him; they only fuel him to greater heights. Lawrence is one of a kind and certainly will not go down the same path as Tebow and Manziel. Do not be surprised when he wins the Heisman Trophy next year, goes number one overall in the 2021 NFL draft, and becomes an all-time NFL great. You heard it here first.
