Should the Philadelphia Eagles take Trevor Lawrence if he is available?
Before we get too far into this, let’s make something clear. We are going to outline a purely hypothetical scenario. At the time of this being written, it would be crazy to suggest the Philadelphia Eagles might have a shot at drafting Clemson Tigers quarterback Trevor Lawrence. It would also be crazy to suggest that they should use their first-round pick on a quarterback. Even still, let’s get into the near-impossible scenario and dream a little.
Heading into Week 17, the Birds are still in play for the third overall pick. They can move up with a loss and wins from the Atlanta Falcons, Cincinnati Bengals, and Houston Texans (the Miami Dolphins own their pick). Miami and Cincinnati already have their franchise quarterbacks. If the Eagles moved into the top five, they could be in play for the Clemson QB if Lawrence fell past the first two picks. Some team would probably trade up though. The Eagles would likely need the third pick for this to be possible at all.
Now, let’s say that the Eagles decide to shop either Carson Wentz or Jalen Hurts and strike a deal. That would leave them with one legit quarterback on the roster. Even if they landed at the third pick and traded away one of their quarterbacks, they would still need Lawrence to fall past the Jacksonville Jaguars and New York Jets which is highly unlikely. The Jets might want to give Sam Darnold more time with a new head coach and legit weapons. If the Jags pass up Lawrence, the Jets will still have to strongly consider it.
In the event that these two teams pass up Lawrence and the two previous events take place, the Eagles would be on the clock with Lawrence on the board. Just to emphasize this point once again, it is extremely unlikely but let’s have some fun with it. The Eagles have a plethora of needs that need to be addressed in this year’s draft. Wide receiver, cornerback, linebacker, and safety will be a few at the top of the list. While the general manager and vice president Howie Roseman did say this is a quarterback factory, he wouldn’t draft a quarterback this year…or would he?
What would the Philadelphia Eagles do if Trevor Lawrence fell?
In this impossible series of events, the Eagles should at least consider Trevor Lawrence. In the pre-draft process, it would be wrong of them to not at least do their homework on him. While it can be argued that he has a lot of talent around him at Clemson, he still has everything you want in a franchise quarterback. Not to mention, Tee Higgins left for the draft a season ago, Justyn Ross missed this season due to spinal surgery, and Lawrence still had an incredible 2020 season.
He’s a proven winner, leader, and game-changer. The moment is never too big for him. Outside of missing a few weeks due to COVID-19 this year, he’s been able to stay healthy. His arm talent is off the charts. He goes through his reads with ease. The dual-threat ability is there. The decision making and accuracy are both superb. The production matches the skillset. He’s the only quarterback the Eagles should consider at their pick.
He didn’t take the reigns as a freshman in 2018 by accident. If the Jags passed on him or traded back and the Jets did the same, it would be difficult for almost any of the 32 teams to turn him down (which is why it’s unlikely that this scenario even happens).
Lawrence is as close to a guarantee as it gets. If this wild scenario somehow took place, the Eagles would be silly not to consider him. They might have to take him. We’ll probably never find out the answer to this. It’s unlikely the Eagles will move up to third pick this Sunday and it’s also unlikely that they will trade up. They need all of their picks considering the salary cap situation this year. Who knows what the Philadelphia Eagles front office would do if they had a chance to get Trevor Lawrence in midnight green.