More often than not, NFL players are judged based on their recent production. Sure, past accomplishments could help them build a bit of good grace, but they'll eventually need to deliver the goods. Such is the case of Trevor Lawrence, who's shown that he can play at a high level but has been somewhat underwhelming the past two years. And while he's entering a make-or-break season with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Nate Nice of Yahoo! Sports believes he'll come through.
Since his encouraging outing in 2022, Lawrence has tumbled in most quarterback rankings. He's routinely popped up in the late teens or early 20s ahead of the 2025 season. However, Tice surprisingly put him at No. 9 in his ranking, ahead of fellow signal-caller C.J. Stroud, because he believes Liam Coen's system will help him put it all together.
This is more of a
bullish assessment of 2025
. I should probably have him below Stroud if I'm being honest," Tice said when explaining why he included Lawrence in his top 10 (15:10 mark). "But I am excited to watch him in this Liam Coen offense. I'm excited to see the weapons around him. And I think Trevor was playing really well last year when healthy and when everything wasn't [shit], and when his head coach wasn't just going into the next press conference to make fun of him, or build a nice environment to build up your franchise quarterback. Everyone encourage him, and everybody say, Yeah, this guy's our guy."
Tice continued, ". So this is more of an optimistic slant. This is not based on 2024. No, I'm still with him. I'm still, I've always been bullish on Trevor. I just think that now this year, maybe this offense, get out of the Doug Pederson Mickey Mouse offense, get out of that RPO-heavy world. Not that Trevor can't do it, but it is just that maybe getting him to be a real boy and be the dropback quarterback. He's still so young, even though he's on a second contract."
"So I've always been, again, I've got his bull shot, Trevor. I think finally this year, we got some competency going on. I hope. I really hope, and maybe we'll be in three months. I'm making new excuses for him, but no, I just always optimistic about Trevor."
Tice's colleagues Charles McDonald and Matt Harmon then chimed in and agreed with his assessment, noting that No. 16 will benefit from Coen's system and the upgrades the Jags made to his supporting cast.
For the sake of clarity, though, Lawrence wasn't playing great last year. Sure, he wasn't helped by his underwhelming supporting cast and Doug Pederson's unimaginative playcalling. However, his decision-making wasn't great, and his mechanics weren't as sharp as they should've been.
Having said that, Lawrence has played like a top-10 quarterback, and the new regime believes he can do it on a consistent basis, which is why he spent the offseason building around him. If the former Clemson Tiger manages to stay healthy, something he's failed to do, there's no reason to think he can take his game to the next level.
Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence has a prime opportunity to silence his critics
So far, Nate Tice's quarterback ranking is the only one where Trevor Lawrence makes the top 10 in 2025. In case you were wondering, Patrick Mahomes popped up at the top, and Josh Allen was second. Lamar Jackson got the third spot, while Joe Burrow and Justin Herbert landed at No. 4 and 5, respectively. Matthew Stafford was sixth.
Lawrence showed up ahead of C.J. Stroud but below Dak Prescott and Jordan Love. As Tice stated, the Knoxville, Tennessee native got his spot because of his flashes.
. @Nate_Tice gives us his Top 10 quarterbacks entering the 2025 NFL season 😱
Does any QB stand out to you? 👀 pic.twitter.com/bfGKgORWFs
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) June 23, 2025
And while it's true that Lawrence is entering a pivotal year, all that chatter about failing to meet expectations will go away. Similarly, he'll permanently reclaim his place as a top-10 quarterback. Of course, there's a chance he won't, and if that's the outcome, speculation about his future with the Jaguars will only ramp up.
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