Likewise, Lawrence would be lighting it up for the Patriots. There's no doubt he would have struggled. Had any of those QBs landed into a Lawrence-like situation with questionable offensive coaching and limited support, they would haven't found early success and built on that. 10 in 2017) and Dak Prescott (fourth round in 2016) are great recent examples of this. This is why it's often good to drop a little in the draft for a skilled QB, to avoid bad teams and land with better-schemed offensive teams. In contrast, the Jaguars have been rather clueless with the jackpot they landed at the top. The Patriots seem to be much more aware of the type of quarterback they drafted and are playing to Jones' strengths and minimizing his weaknesses. Jones doesn't have the same natural attributes but he's executing within a superior system, which shouldn't surprise anyone given the half-season sample size. But Meyer and Bevell have done no him service with the mental part of his game. The scouting report on Lawrence coming into the league was off the charts in terms of physical skill set. The Patriots, as they always are, have been more versatile, multiple and creative in getting as many players as possible into the action to help Jones. While Meyer and Bevell are treating one of the most promising QB prospects in NFL history like a limited veteran bridge option, Belichick and McDaniels are trusting the cerebral pocket-passing Jones with complicated concepts they used to throw on the GOAT, Tom Brady.
They also haven't let him run to support his passing at times given his athleticism. 16 in rushing offense.īut the Jaguars, with Meyer and offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell, have reined in Lawrence from showing off his big arm. With more positive game scripts, Jacksonville would be a lot higher than No.
The Jaguars have had a good running game, however, with second-year back James Robinson helping them average 5.1 yards per attempt. Lawrence's protection and the Jaguars' overall blocking is above average, but it is nowhere near great. Lawrence's best targets now are tight end Dan Arnold and hybrid kickoff returner Jamal Agnew.ĭon't be fooled by Lawrence being sacked only 16 times when compared to Jones being dropped 19 times. So now also give Jones the offensive skill support advantage with wide receivers Kendrick Bourne, Jakobi Meyers and Nelson Agholor, along with his clear go-to guy, tight end Hunter Henry. But he lost that one advantage when Chark went down with a season-ending ankle injury in early October and as inexplicably, Jones and Shenault have seen their roles diminish the passing game since. Lawrence seemed to at least have superior weapons going into the season with D.J. The Patriots' offensive line also remains sturdy in front of Jones. He also has benefited from being able to complement a strong defense (No. Jones has had superior coaching with Belichick and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels from the get-go. But the real question is, had the situations been reversed, which rookie passer would be looking better now? Does that mean the Jaguars made a big mistake by taking the wrong college championship QB, Lawrence instead of Jones? With the Patriots in playoff position under Bill Belichick and the Jaguars sputtering with Urban Meyer, that narrative has gained steam as Jones keeps improving and Lawrence seems to be regressing.