Ever since his sensational freshman season at Clemson, Trevor Lawrence has been discussed as one of the best quarterback prospects in recent memory.
ESPN’s legendary NFL draft analyst Mel Kiper agrees, recently revealing where he ranks Lawrence among the highest quarterback grades of his many years scouting the draft.
Kiper puts Lawrence at No. 4, trailing only John Elway, Andrew Luck and Peyton Manning:
I’ve been studying the NFL draft since 1979, and I’ve seen a lot of quarterbacks. Some great, some terrible. Some first-round picks who made the Hall of Fame, and some top-10 picks who were complete busts.
So when I was asked recently where Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence ranked among the highest-graded quarterbacks I’ve ever studied, I just said, “He’s up there.”
Kiper’s list features other legendary passers like Jim Kelly and Troy Aikman, as well as historic busts like Ryan Leaf and Andre Ware, and a current budding star in Josh Allen.
It’s no surprise to see Lawrence ranked that high, but that means he’ll have extremely high expectations as he begins his NFL career. He’s expected to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft, presumably to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Perhaps the most surprising omission from Kiper’s list is another former Clemson star, Deshaun Watson, who was a similar prospect with a track record of success when he entered the 2017 NFL draft.
To check out Kiper’s full breakdown of the top 10 grades he’s ever given a quarterback prospect, including the next five guys who didn’t make the top-10 cut, click here.
