Kenny Golladay, Detroit Lions. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images)
Trevor Lawrence will be the top pick in 2021 NFL Draft if he leaves early. Here are five teams he makes instant contenders upon his arrival to the NFL.
Even though were are only a few weeks removed from the 2020 NFL Draft, some people have already turned their attention to the next crop of talent entering the league. The biggest reason for this is the 2021 NFL Draft is expected to give us two A-prospects at the quarterback position: Justin Fields of the Ohio State Buckeyes and Trevor Lawrence of the Clemson Tigers.
Entering the 2020 NCAA season, Lawrence and Fields are expected to go 1-2 respectively, should they both leave school a year early after their true junior years. Both signal-callers grew up in the shadows of Atlanta, but are poised to become the face of a franchise somewhere else in the league. Though Fields is a great player, people have become obsessed with Lawrence.
At 6-foot-6 with long blonde hair and a rocket for a right arm, the star quarterback of Clemson has the chance to be the best quarterback draft prospect since John Elway. He’s eclipsed Sam Darnold in hype and may surpass Andrew Luck and even Peyton Manning should he dominate on the gridiron for the 2020 Tigers in the ACC. How good can be as an NFL rookie, though?
Here are five teams he can make an instant contender immediately upon being drafted in 2021.
5
Detroit Lions
NFC North
One team who might be bad enough to draft Lawrence at the top of the first round next year is the Detroit Lions. Once Matthew Stafford got hurt mid-season last year, the Lions cratered all the way to the third-worst record in football. Though not a great team by any stretch of the imagination, the Lions have more talent than their 3-12-1 record showed for it last year.
With Lawrence potentially going to the Lions, we’d have to assume two things: Stafford is no longer the team’s franchise quarterback and the head coach/general manager tandem of Matt Patricia and Bob Quinn has run its course. With a new regime in town and a shot at drafting the best arm talent since Elway, one would think the Lions would sign up for this right away.
To have the shot of coaching Lawrence would make the Lions a very attractive job, assuming they have either the top pick or are in a realistic enough spot to trade up for it. The Lions have plenty of offensive talent in wide receiver Kenny Golladay, tight end T.J. Hockenson and running backs D’Andre Swift and Kerryon Johnson. They also have playmakers on the defensive side of the ball.
Another interesting factor is the Lions play in a quarterback division that is in flux. The Green Bay Packers just drafted Aaron Rodgers‘ successor in Jordan Love. Kirk Cousins is good, but not great for the Minnesota Vikings. Nick Foles isn’t a long-term solution with the Chicago Bears. Though the Lions are inherently dysfunctional, Lawrence could be the galvanizing player they need.