Can the Jaguars turn their fortunes around with back-to-back first overall draft picks?
The Jacksonville Jaguars head into the 2022 offseason the same way they started the 2021 offseason: with the No. 1 overall pick for the NFL Draft. While they used the 2021 No. 1 overall pick on Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence, the end of a tumultuous regular season left the franchise with more questions than answers.
To begin with, the Urban Meyer era in Jacksonville was short-lived, replete with on-field and off-field controversy. Not only do the Jaguars have to decide whether Lawrence is the answer at quarterback, they also have to find a new head coach to lead the team. Jacksonville last made the playoffs in 2007, so they have to rebuild their roster once again from the ground up in order to hope to compete in the postseason again.
Will a consecutive No. 1 overall pick save the Jaguars?
The answer to the team’s many problems cannot be placed on only one player. Football, with its large roster and specialized roster (defense, offense, and special teams) has too many variables and requires all three phases of the game to blend together to field a competitive team, much less a Super Bowl contender. Unlike the NBA, where players play both defense and offense and the roster is much smaller (five starters and 15 players total), an NFL team cannot wait for the next Michael Jordan or Tim Duncan to come along to save the franchise.
For all those worried about Trevor Lawrence, this is his life as a QB. Where do you go? https://t.co/ms1wsgdqj4
For every Tom Brady or Peyton Manning that changed teams (Brady to Tampa Bay and Manning to Denver), it’s worth noting that Brady joined an already strong Buccaneers team with a plethora of receiving options in Chris Godwin and Mike Evans, and Manning joined a Broncos team that boasted a top-rated defense and wide receivers Demaryius Thomas, Eric Decker, Emmanuel Sanders, Wes Welker, and Julius Thomas. Sometimes one player can raise the fortunes of an NFL franchise, but more often than not, that player is surrounded by a strong foundation in place.
#Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence closed out his rookie campaign with a massive victory over the must-win Colts. Here’s our post-game chat on the win, the roller coaster season, and his vision of the future in #DUUUVAL nation @nflnetwork!
“That’s the team that we wanna be…”🗣⬇️🏈 https://t.co/b76L3NX3MS
Jacksonville will also have to build that foundation in order to return to playoff glory. There’s no better place to start than at quarterback.
Trevor Lawrence’s rookie campaign left a lot to be desired. While the quarterback rookie class of 2021 overall did not do well statistically or in the wins column (with the exception of New England quarterback Mac Jones), Lawrence bears the brunt of failure as the number one overall pick. He threw only 12 touchdown passes against 17 interceptions. His completion percentage was under 60 percent, and his 3-14 record combined with Urban Meyer’s failures as a head coach could tempt Jacksonville to look at another rookie quarterback.
QBs with the most completions lost due to receiver error (drops/misplay/etc.) in 2021:
Tom Brady 47
Justin Herbert 46
Ben Roethlisberger 41
Matthew Stafford 41
Trevor Lawrence 40
Due to his very high draft capital, chances are that the Jaguars will give Lawrence another shot under a new head coach. Multiple sports sites have the Jaguars taking Michigan defensive end Aidan Hutchinson as the No. 1 overall pick. He projects to be the best overall player on either side of the ball, and no team is expected to trade up for the No. 1 pick for a generational quarterback (at least for now, it’s still early in draft season).
Although the Jaguars have taken an edge rusher in the first round in two of the last three drafts, they could shore up the defense and take pressure off of their new head coach and Trevor Lawrence.
Of course, the Jaguars have issues on the offensive side besides Lawrence. Running back James Robinson is the only real offensive threat, and the team has to re-tool its receiving corps that currently has injured DJ Chark, Marvin Jones and Laviska Shenault Jr. They drafted running back Travis Etienne, but he was out for the season with an injury before the regular season even began.
Trevor Lawrence the last time the #Colts beat the #Jaguars in Jacksonville https://t.co/c2iT0FHd0v
It's not uncommon for the No. 1 overall pick to fail at the quarterback position (e.g., Tim Couch, David Carr, JaMarcus Russell, Sam Bradford). Trevor Lawrence's career could vastly improve depending on the personnel around him and the new head coach tasked with ensuring his success as a quarterback.
Overall, the new GM and head coach for the 2022 season will have a lot to consider before making important moves to improve their overall roster.