Trevor Lawrence: An Elite QB1 in 2023?

2021 saw the debut of generational QB prospect Trevor Lawrence, who was selected 1st overall by the Jacksonville Jaguars. Unfortunately, his debut season was extremely underwhelming to all that had followed the hype surrounding the QB since his high school days where he had been dubbed the top Quarterback prospect since Andrew Luck (and by some as the top since John Elway). Whether it be the difficulty in taking the step from the collegiate level to the pros or, as most saw it, an 'all odds against him' situation in his rookie season with the coaching debacle of Urban Meyer and an extreme lack of weapons at his side, Lawrence managed just 3,975 total yards and 14 TDs (passing and rushing) to just 17 INTs.

Enter Year 2 with offensive guru Doug Pederson as the Jaguars' head coach - a coach that led Carson Wentz to an MVP-caliber season in 2017 (prior to a season-ending ACL injury) and then saw Nick Foles take over and go on one of the greatest playoff runs in NFL history. With a competent offensive scheme to go with a revamped supporting cast of Christian Kirk (WR), Zay Jones (WR), and Evan Engram (TE) signed in free agency alongside the return of Travis Etienne (RB) from injury, Lawrence had all the tools to take the next step in becoming a bonified starting QB in the NFL.

He took that step - and much more.

Trevor Lawrence showed a massive improvement from Year 1 to Year 2 in the NFL, jumping to 4,404 total yards, over a 66% completion percentage, and 30 total TDs to just 8 INTs. The significant growth from a maturation standpoint helped lead him to become the number-7 QB in fantasy points in 2022 even within his first year in the Doug Pederson offense and with only a middle-of-the-pack receiving corps.

Now entering Year 3 in the NFL, and within his second offseason with Doug Pederson as Head Coach, the sky is the limit for Trevor Lawrence, especially with the Jaguars' mid-season acquisition of Calvin Ridley (WR), who will be making his return to the field (suspension) in 2023. For those that don't remember, in Ridley's last full season (2020), he posted 90 catches for 1,375 yards and 9 TDs en route to finishing as the WR4 in standard scoring formats and the WR5 in PPR formats. Lawrence finally has a true WR1.

It's yet to be seen what the price will be for Lawrence on draft day (he is currently being valued as an early-to-mid 7th-round pick on ECR, 7.03), but it appears that he will be one of those prime mid-round QBs that can launch rosters to 'contender' status. Lawrence has everything going for him heading into 2023 between a top-6 finish in 2022, flashes of elite production, and WR Calvin Ridley's return from suspension (among other significant factors) - he has the very realistic opportunity to emerge as an elite QB1 for fantasy as he enters Year 3.