Will Trevor Lawrence Declaring for the NFL Affect Sam Darnold's Future?
Clemson quarterback and 2018 national champion Trevor Lawrence has officially declared for the NFL draft via social media. The Georgia native made the announcement on Wednesday morning, and since then, nearly three-million people have viewed his farewell video on his personal twitter account.
His announcement comes after Clemson's semi-final loss to Ohio State in the Sugar Bowl on New Years Day. Lawrence led Clemson to three straight college football playoff appearances as the starting QB for Dabo Swinney's team. With Lawrence declaring for the 2021 NFL Draft, many have speculated if his choice will affect former USC QB and current New York Jets quarterback Sam Darnold.
While Lawrence won't directly affect Darnold's starting spot since the Jets will be drafting second overall, the possibility of a trade is still open. The All-American QB is expected to be the number one overall selection on April 29th; and the thought of getting the next best signal-caller is always on the minds of general managers.
Especially for a team that won two games in 2020 and is picking near the top of a quarterback-rich 2021 draft class. Not to mention the unrest around the future of Darnold in New York, as the Jets have compiled a woeful 13-35 record since the former No.3 overall pick out of USC took over as the starting QB in 2018. During that timespan, Darnold has thrown for 8,097 yards while completing nearly 60% of his passes, with 45 touchdowns and 39 interceptions.
Now that the Jets have moved on from former head coach Adam Gase, general manager Joe Douglas has not committed to Darnold coming back in 2021. The Jets GM has made it clear that Darnold's future will depend on who is hired as the new head coach of the team.
"I think Sam has a very bright future in this league," Douglas told ESPN reporters. "We're going to get a head coach in here, we're going to get together and we're going to talk about quite a few decisions."
On top of Gase's end of season dismissal, New York had previously fired their defensive coordinator Greg Williams after the team's loss to the Las Vegas Raiders earlier this season. Usually with as much turnover and mediocracy as the Jets have had in recent memory, that allows for the team to revisit its most important position, the signal-caller, which in this case is Darnold.
Darnold's future also depends on if the Jets are able to get enough value back for him. If they try to deal him in a trade or pick up an alternative QB that could affect Darnold's position in New York. Seeing Trevor Lawrence go No. 1 may pressure Douglas into drafting a new QB after the Jets posted the worst offense in the league this past year.
USAToday released a mock draft which pinned Lawrence as the No.1 overall pick to the Jacksonville Jaguars. BYU QB Zach Wilson is slated to go next as the No.2 overall pick by the NY Jets.
However, if New York decides to pass on taking another QB all together, or keep Darnold and draft one more, they may look at getting some more protection on their offensive line.
USAToday ranked USC star offensive lineman Alijah Vera-Tucker going No.27 to the NY Jets in their mock draft. Nonetheless, a full NFL offseason awaits, and Jet's fans will need to remain patient to find out what will happen to the former USC QB.
[Read: Sam Darnold Comments On Adam Gase's Dismissal]
[Read: Kedon Slovis 2021 Heisman Odds]
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