ESPN analyst, former NFL personnel director says Trevor Lawrence and Jaguars are "going to explode"

Trevor Lawrence and the Jaguars offense is set to "explode" per ESPN analyst and former NFL personnel director Louis Riddick. (Photo: Justin Lewis / USATODAY)

by TigerNet Staff - Thu Jul 06 14:33:41 GMT-04:00 2023

The hype is growing for Trevor Lawrence as he goes into his third season as a pro.

ESPN analyst and former NFL personnel director Louis Riddick recently told the Rich Eisen show that the Jacksonville Jaguars are a team to watch this season.

"When we went over to London last year before they played Denver and did their game for ESPN+, I talked to Doug (Pederson) extensively about Trevor Lawrence’s maturation as a quarterback and how he had to basically almost be rehabilitated and kind of had to really be infused with confidence after the struggle he had as a rookie — not just on the field, but just with his confidence and the way he’s coached and the way he was supported and not supported," Riddick said of the failed first year under fired coach Urban Meyer. “He was basically the adult in the organization in his rookie year, which is unfair for him and how you can see as the season went on, leading up to the way he played in the postseason, how this guy was just making huge strides week after week with his maturation and how he was starting to play like that guy who they said was a can’t-miss guy.

"Year two in Doug’s system, what do you think is going to happen with this dude now that he has the best route runner in the NFL in Calvin Ridley, all these tight ends, a young, up-and-coming offensive line that is a little green on the edges but will get better and these running backs, what do you think is going to happen with this football team? They’re going to explode."

Riddick is also big on Travis Etienne, who he said was a "stud" alongside Lawrence in the Jaguars offense.

Pro Football Focus tabbed Lawrence recently as a "legitimate MVP candidate" this season.

"We have seen similar anomalous runs from players in the past. It’s entirely possible that Lawrence and the Jags simply hit a rich vein of form, so 2023 will see a regression to a more average baseline," said PFF's Sam Monson. "Because Lawrence is young and came with such big billing at draft time, we naturally want to lean toward the light going on and the second half of last season serving as his 'arrival' on the biggest stage.

"So, let’s dare to dream. If last season was, in fact, his coming out party, Lawrence heads into the 2023 season playing as well as any quarterback in the game with an ascending football team around him."