Again, why is it "the easy answer"? I haven't seen any concrete evidence to support Lawrence being better than Wilson or Fields, other than "everyone" says so.
Can you quantify that assertion? I'm not trying to be snarky, but this is exactly what I'm trying to get an understanding of. Wilson, Fields, Lance, Jones, hell, even Kellen Mond, have been dissected and put under the microscope, but not Lawrence. Where's the evidence to support his ranking as #1?
Everyone tends to be right more often than they are wrong. Lawrence is 6'6", throws very well, moves very well, is very athletic for a guy his size. He played in a system that translates very well to the NFL. He comes from a program that has produced a high quality NFL QB recently, under the same regime that produced him. The fact that Lawrence has been seen as a high quality NFL prospect for years should work for him not against him.
Honestly I would, but I don't think it's worth the time. And I say that with no disrespect. He's the best prospect, he has the most experience, wins, touchdowns, yards, attempts, big NFL level arm, tall, strong and eats hits without issue (durable), athletic, accomplished (shame he never got a Heisman), mechanically sound with good footwork and follow through. The only things I'd look for him to improve upon is to get more arch on his deep balls to create true 50/50 balls at the NFL level on 9 routes and add a little bit of upper body mass (midsection). I think it'd be closer if Fields had a full normal season. But he just hasn't played as much football to warrant a closeness in prospect rating.
This statement could truthfully be made about Wilson and Fields for certain. I'm not trying to be argumentative, and I understand that the things that make a player great are often intangibles and not easy to quantify, but if you use as a baseline for comparison their individual statistics, Lawrence runs third in most categories. So the question is: how does he go from third to first? Let me use an example of something Fields did that elevated him in my mind: when he led OSU to a convincing win over Lawrence and Clemson even after being hurt so bad that a lot of other players wouldn't have even returned to the game. And then he played in the N.C. game when there is no way he could've been fully recovered. That's an example of what sets a player apart. Does Lawrence have anything similar on his resume? Has he consistently led his team back from sure defeat? Has he put the team on his back and carried them? If in the end, you - and others - just say "I just have a gut feeling he's better", okay, but I would hope you could define it better than that.
Yeah seriously. There's no hidden production stats that need to be mined to prove how good he is. He's just not quite on Luck's level because well no really is. And surprisingly that didn't quite work out for them.
So did Tua who also was the QB of the National Championship team as a freshman. And he did get drafted high... But Tua wasn't generational.
Yeah, fair enough. I guess we're all getting weary of this at this point. I just am honestly curious why Lawrence is the #1 pick because when I watch the tape on these guys, I don't see him as the best - not that he sucks, but I just think Wilson and Fields are better. But thanks for the response.
Wilson had only one elite year, and it was against a soft schedule. And Fields had a significantly better supporting cast than Lawrence, as Lawrence's best receiver Justyn Ross didn't play last year.
I thoroughly believe in the it factor for quarterbacks. Not that it's the end all be all, but if you don't have it, you'll have a hard time being an elite quarterback. Look no further than how the team performed with DJ Uiagalelei (the kid lit it up both games he played) versus when Lawrence came back. It's almost as if the team relaxed when Lawrence was back and they didn't have to press so badly.
Okay, so what you're saying is that the stats for Lawrence carry more weight than for Wilson and Fields because of the competition that they were accrued against for Wilson, and because of less playing time for Fields? I don't necessarily agree, but I can accept that.
I think I get what you're trying to say, but that came across as maybe a negative for Lawrence - almost like he reverse-inspired the team. I'm sure that's not what you meant, but can you clarify?
He has the highest floor IMO & it’s not even close. That’s why he’s the consensus number 1. He may not live up to the expectations but I can’t see him being a bust. I can’t comfortably say that about the other top QBs even my boy Fields.
Lawrence does have nice tools. Plus Arm, Plus Athleticism. But his arm is not a Mahomes or Allen. It's behind Lance in this class. His athleticism is positive, but he's not Lamar or Murray or Watson. You won't want to run him a lot next level. How about off-platform throws? Not anywhere near Mahomes, Rodgers. Behind Wilson in this class. How about the system? Does it prepare one for the NFL? Lance, Wilson are running closer to NFL style offenses. Clemson is running a simple spread offense. OK, let's talk cerebral QB play. Surely Lawrence is the best with anticipation and timing? No. Behind Wilson, Mac Jones, and Davis Mills. Ball placement? Behind Burrow by a lot last year. Behind Wilson this year. How's the vision? Another one where Lawrence is behind Wilson. You regularly see Lawrence not see guys correctly on the interior of the field. Well, surely he is poised. He's a winner right? This is the one that scares me. Lawrence regularly looks far worse under duress, when asked to make a quick decision or under pressure. After his freshman year, he lost big games such as LSU or Ohio State. And in other games where the competition wasn't awful there is a lot of wtf. Watch the Notre Dame, Miami, and Virginia Tech games again. He's a taller, faster Goff. That's not going to even touch a Mahomes. We've been duped by ESPN here once again.
No it means everyone felt like they had to do more because their star wasn't there to keep the team calm and in control that he'd be the one making the plays. If you don't like that example then you can look at his freshman year when he unseated the guy who took'em to the National Championship the previous year. This is irrelevant but I always felt bad for Kelly Bryant. He was supposedly heartbroken by that whole switch and never recovered at Mizzou.
I don't think you can use the LSU game against him really. The entire team for fucking steam rolled immediately. No one was stopping that freight train, it was one of those momentum CFB games where the inevitable happened. That's against one of the best college football teams (and probably the best offense) of all time. What about 2018 versus Alabama and Notre Dame? What stopping the Ohio State momentum in 2019 where he willed them back into the game starting with his legs?
Yeah, this is closer to what I've seen. That said, I haven't watched as much of Lawrence as I have the other guys. Maybe it's like legler said: Lawrence has a higher floor. I'm not certain of that, but that might be true. However, the projections on his ceiling - Luck, Manning, Elway - aren't really supported by the tape and his numbers. Again, maybe he can achieve that level, but Wilson Fields may also.
