Trevor Lawrence entered the 2021 NFL Draft as the most sought-after player in the class. After being drafted No. 1 by the Jacksonville Jaguars, his first season as a professional is now finished, with plenty of ups and downs along the way. 
The Jaguars selected Lawrence in hopes that he could resurrect the struggling franchise. Through a rollercoaster of a season, Lawrence showed flashes of his potential. He started all 17 games and threw for 3,641 yards (17th in the NFL), 12 touchdowns and 17 interceptions.
His two most impressive games were in wins over the Miami Dolphins and Indianapolis Colts, who both finished 9-8. 
Against the Dolphins, Lawrence threw for 319 yards with one touchdown and led his team to secure the Jaguars’ first win of the season. 
In week 18, against the Colts, Lawrence had arguably his best game as a rookie and threw for 223 yards with two touchdowns. The game was even more impressive because, with the win, Lawrence destroyed the Colts’ hope to make the playoffs.
While Lawrence had his shining moments, there were also times that left fans scratching their heads.
Lawrence’s 17 interceptions were tied for the most in the NFL. He also had a quarterback passer rating of 71.9, the second worst among qualified quarterbacks. 
At times during the year, Lawrence appeared to have trouble reading the field, resulting in a high number of interceptions. Many were thrown into double and triple coverage, and some because of defenders baiting Lawrence into a pass, all of which was uncharacteristic of him at Clemson.
However, this is a fairly common problem among young quarterbacks as they make the transition to the NFL. Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning finished his rookie season with 28 interceptions, an NFL record.
Much of Lawrence’s struggles can be attributed to a rookie adjusting to the NFL playstyle, but there are certainly other factors that played a role, including the lack of leadership and coaching decisions by his former head coach Urban Meyer.
Urban Meyer’s decisions caused a lot of distractions and negatively affected the team. Incidents to note include allegedly kicking Josh Lambo, benching James Robinson and having a woman dance on him inappropriately despite being married.
After these, and other, incidents, Urban Meyer was eventually fired.
Prior to the arrival of Lawrence, the Jaguars already possessed a few young, promising players on their roster that the team believed would pair well with Lawrence and generate a quality play style. 
On the offensive side of the ball, Robinson, a second year running back, finished his 2020 rookie season fifth in rushing yards. Along with Robinson was 6-foot-4 wide receiver D.J. Chark Jr., who reeled in over 1,000 receiving yards in 2019.
However, the hype and optimism surrounding the Jaguars quickly turned as the 2021 season progressed. 
The team lacked identity and finished the year with an NFL-worst 3-14 record. The offense finished 27th in yards per game and dead last in points per game. The defense was 20th in yards allowed per game and 28th in points allowed per game.
Aside from the leadership aspect, another factor that affected Lawrence was the poor play of his teammates. 
Throughout the season, it looked like Lawrence and his receivers were not always on the same page, resulting in incomplete passes, drops and interceptions. 
The Jaguars had 25 dropped passes this year, tied for the fourth-most in the league. Jacksonville’s receivers also had a difficult time creating separation from defenders, resulting in an ineffective passing game.
It also doesn’t help that the Jaguars had several key skilled position players get injured like Chark Jr. and former Clemson running back Travis Etienne Jr.
Despite a rough season, the Jaguars and Lawrence currently sit in a position of optimism moving forward as long as they have a smooth offseason that will consist of hiring a new head coach.
Lawrence did not have as great of a start to his professional career as his collegiate career, but there is time for the quarterback to develop and lead the Jaguars to the playoffs.