Mac Jones vs Trevor Lawrence: Which starting QB will win NFL rookie of the year?
The 2021 NFL Draft class featured some of the most highly touted quarterbacks in years. Of the quarterbacks drafted in the first-round, most of the talk within the past few weeks has featured around Mac Jones and Trevor Lawrence.
The Jacksonville Jaguars named Trevor Lawrence the starting quarterback last week and then traded former starter Gardner Minshew II to the Philadelphia Eagles.
The New England Patriots named Mac Jones their starting quarterback this week after releasing last year's starter and former NFL MVP Cam Newton.
The two rookie quarterbacks will actually meet in Week 17 as the Jacksonville Jaguars head to Gillette Stadium to play the Patriots. By then, will one rookie quarterback be having more success than the other? Or will the learning curve still be in full force for each of them?
Mac Jones vs Trevor Lawrence - Who comes out on top may depend on the supporting cast
Assuming that the Rookie of the Year comes down to these two, would it be either Trevor Lawrence or Mac Jones that would take it? There's a sound case for both, technically.
Let's start with Patriots rookie quarterback Mac Jones. Jones' first opportunity as a starter came in 2019 when Tua Tagovailoa suffered a hip injury. After Tagovailoa left for the NFL, Jones was named the starter.
In 2020, starting 13 games, Mac Jones threw for 4,500 passing yards and 41 touchdowns as he led the undefeated Crimson Tide to another national championship. Jones had a superior offense around him, but was still highly scouted heading into the NFL Draft, which made it surprising that he dropped to the Patriots at 15th.
Jones stepped into an offense run by Josh McDaniels and a team coached by Bill Belichick that never settles. That explains the aggressive offseason moves that were made to improve from the disappointing 2020 season.
For Trevor Lawrence, although he was the number one overall draft pick out of Clemson, he enters a completely different situation. Although Lawrence will be seen as one of the best college quarterbacks in history, the NFL is completely different and some have questioned whether he is "NFL ready."
Lawrence is the quarterback for the Jacksonville Jaguars, who are currently in the midst of yet another rebuild. His head coach is his former college coach Urban Meyer, who is also chartering through new territory.
Lawrence's offense isn't nearly as stacked or well coached as the Patriots. His Clemson teammate Travis Etienne is most likely out for the season. He does have an excellent wide receiver in Laviska Shenault but the offensive line has shown this preseason that Lawrence will be under pressure early and often, causing him to scramble.
If either were to win NFL Rookie of the Year, it would be Mac Jones. He is more of a pro-style quarterback and seems cool under pressure. He is a good decision-maker and has a supporting cast around him that will help make his job easier as a rookie.