Several weeks ago, football Twitter got into an uproar over Chris Simms suggesting that BYU quarterback Zach Wilson was the better prospect than Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence. I rolled my eyes, mumbled “draft season takes,” and kept it moving. But, here we are, all this time later and Simms is doubling down on Wilson being the better prospect. I wasn’t even going to write my annual “who should be the top pick in the draft” piece this year, because Lawrence seems like the obvious and automatic choice. But, now that this is circulating, I figured what the hell? Why not?
“I think Wilson, to me, is [Patrick Mahomes] or [Aaron Rodgers],” Simms told Pro Football Focus. “The consistency of throwing is there every time. The power in the arm is wowing at times, where I just go “whoa.” His feet and ability to move and make throws off of awkward platforms is as good as I’ve seen since Mahomes coming out in the draft. I do, I love that aspect about him. I think his game translates more to the NFL and the fact that he’s maybe a little bit more of a pro offense. And the way he can dissect and go through reads, it’s impressive.”
I don’t want to totally shit on Simms’ opinion here. I mean, the dude has forgotten more football than I’ll ever know. But, Patrick Mahomes? Aaron Rodgers? BRUH – these are Hall of Fame caliber quarterbacks. Rodgers is among the greatest of all time. If Mahomes keeps playing at this level, he’ll be in that conversation as well. We’re just gonna lump this kid that was hardly on anyone’s radar prior to 2020 in THAT sort of company? Let’s cool it – again, I don’t mean for this to be a hit piece on Wilson or Simms, but this just sounds like pure insanity.
Look how everyone is piling on the Andrew Luck comparisons – not that Lawrence plays like Luck, but in that Luck’s draft process marked the last time we had a virtual certainty at the position. That was 2012 – nine years ago. It’s been that long since a quarterback has come along that has had us pretty much all on the same page like “yup – that’s the guy.” John Elway is another name that comes to mind when we’re talking about these type of dudes – they only come around so often. And, Lawrence absolutely belongs in that category.
He looks like the damn prototype at 6’6″ and 220 pounds. He has the pedigree of a champion – he’s been a winner in all three of his seasons at Clemson, including winning a Natty in his freshman season. But, I mention that just to say he’s ready for the big show – I actually don’t value wins as a quarterback metric myself, but to each his own. To be as big as he is, Lawrence is shifty and is capable of extending plays with his legs. But, it’s all about that arm – Lawrence has one of the best pure arms I’ve ever seen, which would be a really weird thing to read outside of the context of football. He’s comfortable in the pocket, has solid mechanics, and can throw an insanely accurate deep ball. That makes him an absolute threat at the next level.
It’s easy – you don’t even think about this one. The Jacksonville Jaguars would be dumb to miss this pick – even if they trade out of #1 to acquire a few more picks, I don’t if that’s the answer. You just draft Trevor Lawrence and completely rebuild around him. He is the rightful top dog in this year’s draft class.
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network, and a Dogs Playing Poker on velvet connoisseur. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD and #BeBetter. “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley
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