Trevor Lawrence NFL Draft: Clemson QB Projected to Be No. 1 Pick in 2021

Getty Trevor Lawrence is projected to be a top NFL draft pick in 2021.

Trevor Lawrence will not be eligible to enter the NFL draft until 2021 at the earliest, but the league is already taking notice of the Clemson quarterback. Former NFL quarterback Trent Dilfer believes Lawrence is already better than a lot of current NFL quarterbacks.

“The more I’m doing this, the more I think I could throw these guys into an NFL training camp as 18-year-olds,” Dilfer said per Tiger Net. “Now they couldn’t handle the volume of offensive-decision-making (in a game), but from a talent standpoint, both Trevor and Justin (Fields) are better than 15 guys in the NFL right now from a talent standpoint. Maybe more…Trevor couldn’t get enough of it [preparation]. He got it. ‘Yes, this is what I want. I want to know this stuff. Teach me more.’ He was overwhelmed at times, which is what we’re looking for, but he responded great and I think people up there really have a neat look into his competitive temperament. It’s so much more than height/weight/speed/arm-talent. Any pencil jockey can see him that way. There’s so many deep levels to him that people will see in the show.”

Lawrence still has plenty of time for his draft stock to fluctuate, but many draft analysts expect him to go high in the 2021 NFL draft.

ESPN Ranked Lawrence as the College Football Quarterback With the Most NFL Potential

Pro Football Focus’ Steve Palazzolo wrote a piece for ESPN where he ranked the quarterbacks who were playing in a 2018-19 bowl game based on their NFL outlook. Lawrence was the top-rated prospect on the list ahead of veterans like Oregon’s Justin Herbert and Ohio State’s Dwayne Haskins.

The next big thing at the quarterback position, Lawrence has transformed the Clemson passing attack with his strong arm and impressive decision-making. He has the nation’s lowest percentage of turnover-worthy plays at 1.2 percent, an incredible number for a true freshman, especially given his ability to stretch the field with his big arm. Lawrence will be eligible for the 2021 draft.

Lawrence Is Being Called the Best Pro Prospect Since Peyton Manning

One ACC assistant coach told Yahoo Sports that Lawrence would be the top pick in the 2019 draft if he was eligible to declare. For now, NFL teams will have to hope he declares for the draft in 2021. Lawrence is drawing comparisons to future Hall of Famer Peyton Manning.

“He’s the best prospect since [Peyton] Manning,” an ACC assistant coach told Yahoo Sports. “He’d be the first pick in this year’s draft if he came out, even if he didn’t play another snap.”

Lawrence grew up idolizing Manning because of his connection to Tennessee.

“I just always liked how he was so in control of the offense,” Lawrence explained to The State. “You could just tell that he knew everything that was going on, how he made checks. He was just a really smart player. That’s one thing I really liked about him.”