When the Jacksonville Jaguars selected Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence with the No. 1 overall pick, they trusted that he would become their franchise quarterback and he’s done just that. Add in the playoff victory in Year 2 and the optimism continues to rise.

The Athletic redrafted the 2021 class and Lawrence remained in the top spot while a fellow Tiger slid down a few picks. While Micah Parsons presented an argument, keeping Lawrence at the top spot was a simple decision.

Perhaps the least-complicated selection here. No, I don’t think the Jaguars would pass on Lawrence for a shot at Micah Parsons if they could do it all again, which tells you how great Lawrence was last year and how much better he could be over the next three to five seasons.

Patrick Mahomes and Joe Burrow belong in their own tier among NFL quarterbacks. Lawrence, in my opinion, has joined Josh Allen and a healthy Lamar Jackson in the tier just below those two.

Lawrence earned high praise and continues to rise into the upper echelon of NFL quarterbacks although there is two that stand on their own. The second Clemson player in the redraft was running back Travis Etienne Jr., who joined Lawrence after being selected by the Jaguars in the first round with the 25th overall pick. Missing his first season played into him dropping in the redraft, and he ended up with the Green Bay Packers at No. 29.

I struggled with dropping Etienne from his original spot and just couldn’t take him out of the first round entirely. He missed his rookie year with a foot injury, but in 17 games last season showed his explosion and how it translates to the NFL. He finished 2022 with a 5.1 yards-per-carry average, and there’s more juice to squeeze with him as a receiving threat after a 35-catch year. The Jaguars found another good one.

Etienne missing 2021 hurt Jacksonville, but it panned out in the end when he rushed for over 1,000 yards in 2022 and the Jaguars earned a playoff berth. In the end, it’s safe to say the pair of Clemson stars are doing just fine together in the NFL.

We are excited to announce our second annual Dear Old Clemson event for the freshmen football class.  Come out on July 22 at 10 AM at the indoor football facility for a meet and greet autograph session with the scholarship freshmen from the 2023 class.  Clemson coordinators Garrett Riley and Wes Goodwin will be attendance and speak at the event.

Get your tickets today at Dear Old Clemson.