Projected No. 1 Overall Pick Trevor Lawrence Given MVP Odds for 2021-2022 Season
Trevor Lawrence will have to wait several more months to make his NFL debut, but that doesn't mean his prescence hasn't already made an impact when it comes to opening odds for the 2021-2022 season.
Lawrence is widely expected to be the No. 1 overall pick by the hands of the Jacksonville Jaguars in April's NFL Draft, the culmination of an elite three-year career at Clemson. He left such an impression on evaluators and oddsmakers during his college playing days that he has been given 200/1 odds to win next year's MVP award by Sports Betting Dime -- longshot odds, but the only odds given to a player who will be a rookie in 2021.
Lawrence came in with the 24th highest odds, coming behind other recent first-round quarterbacks such as Justin Herbert and Tua Tagovailoa.
1. Patrick Mahomes: +700 (7/1)
2. Aaron Rodgers: +750 (15/2)
3. Russell Wilson: +1100 (11/1)
4. Lamar Jackson: +1125 (45/4)
5. Matthew Stafford: +1500 (15/1)
6. Josh Allen: +1600 (16/1)
7. Baker Mayfield: +2350 (47/2)
8. Kyler Murray: +2400 (24/1)
9. Tom Brady: +2550 (51/2)
10. Alvin Kamara: +2750 (55/2)
11. Christian McCaffrey: +3200 (32/1)
12. Derrick Henry: +3300 (33/1)
13. Matt Ryan: +4100 (41/1)
14. Ben Roethlisberger: +4500 (45/1)
15. Dalvin Cook: +4900 (49/1)
16. Dak Prescott: +4900 (49/1)
17. DeShaun Watson: +5250 (105/2)
18. Saquon Barkley: +5800 (58/1)
19. Jimmy Garoppolo: +6600 (66/1)
20. Aaron Donald: +7900 (79/1)
21. Tua Tagovailoa: +8200 (82/1)
22. Ezekiel Elliott: +8500 (85/1)
23. Justin Herbert: +8900 (98/1)
24. Trevor Lawrence: +20000 (200/1)
It isn't surprising to see Lawrence get some love from oddsmakers considering the massive hype that has followed him since he was a high school recruit. He has been lauded by many as the best quarterback since Andrew Luck or even John Elway.
With that said, winning the MVP as a rookie is a nearly impossible task. It is made even tougher considering Lawrence is slated to join the Jaguars, who just finished with the NFL's worst record at 1-15. Winning MVP as a rookie on a great team would be amazing, let alone on a team that just picked first overall.
Only six players in NFL history have won the MVP in one of their first two seasons: Lamar Jackson (2019), Patrick Mahomes (2018), Kurt Warner (1999), Dan Marino (1984), Earl Campbell (1979), and Jim Brown (1957, 1958). Brown is the only one of these six players to win the award as a rookie.
But at the very least, Lawrence earning odds shows how respected he is entering his rookie season. He is going to be asked to elevate Jacksonville's offense and locker room from his first day with the organization, and these types of odds reflect that.
The edge that Lawrence does have is that he is a quarterback and the MVP award has essentially become an award for signal-callers ... but the Jaguars need to worry about getting their record to .500 before any talks for an MVP can take place.
In his career, Lawrence completed 66% of his passes for 10,098 yards (8.9 yards per attempt, 9.8 adjusted yards per attempt) for 90 touchdowns and 17 interceptions. He also rushed for 943 yards and 18 touchdowns. He isn't perfect, but there is a strong argument to make for him being the best quarterback prospect of the last decade.
The Jaguars do have other options with the top pick, as we explained here, but none make nearly as much sense as simply picking Lawrence. He is the quarterback the Jaguars need for countless reasons, and thus he should be the favorite to be the first pick until the evidence shows otherwise.
