The Jacksonville Jaguars were Vegas’ preseason bet to take Trevor Lawrence with the #1 pick in the 2021 NFL draft.
Why has everyone all of a sudden forgotten about Gardner Minshew?
He had his 15 minutes of fame throughout last season, with his flamboyant outfits and distinctive mustache taking the league by storm. But at this point, everyone is so quick to move on from his stellar rookie season. I’m not convinced he’s for sure the quarterback of the future for Jacksonville, but at this point, he’s extremely underrated.
Snub for OROY?
Kyler Murray took home the OROY award, being selected 177 picks before Minshew. Honestly, in a blind test, their stats are pretty similar, and I might give the edge to Minshew.
16 games – 64.4% completion percentage – 3,722 yards – 20 TD – 12 INT – 87.4 passer rating – 93 attempts, 544 yards rushing – 4 TDs
14 games – 60.6% completion percentage – 3,271 yards – 21 TDs – 6 INTs – 91.2 passer rating – 67 attempts, 344 yards
Advanced stats favor Murray and Minshew benefited from a more consistent run game and better O-Line, so I’m not at all trying to say that the latter is a better quarterback. Although, he’s heavily disrespected and I truly believe he’s the franchise guy for Jacksonville.
A Bold Comparison
I understand Lawrence is a more refined and accomplished prospect, but you’ve got your man right in front of you. In my humble opinion, Gardner Minshew is the closest thing to Russell Wilson that we have right now. That comes off as blasphemous, but the similarities are there. His ability to make something out of nothing and escape sacks is Wilson-esque. Minshew already has the “clutch gene” that makes Russ so dangerous. Through 17 regular season games (Minshew’s total), Minshew holds four 4th quarter comebacks and four game-winning drives. Wilson one-ups him, with five GW drives and four 4th quarter comebacks. It’s something to consider that half of the Jaguars wins in 2019 were achieved by a comeback and game winning drive, while only 4/11 wins for the Seahawks in 2012 were achieved that way.
Again, through their first 17 regular season games:
Minshew – 63% completion – 4,058 yards – 27 TDs – 9 INTs – 96.3 passer rating – 79 rushing attempts, 404 yards
Wilson – 64.7% completion – 3,438 yards – 27 TDs – 10 INTs – 101.2 passer rating – 99 rushing attempts, 496 yards, 4 TDs
This is shockingly close. I’d give the edge to Wilson, but his supporting cast including prime Marshawn Lynch and the Legion of Boom secondary definitely helped.
Minshew possesses nowhere near the same arm talent that Wilson does, but this isn’t something that changes overnight. Wilson is a Hall of Famer if he retired today, and I know Minshew isn’t anywhere near that level and there’s a good chance he never will be. The similarities do exist and the potential is still there. I think Gardner Minshew is going to be a household name across football for years to come, so Tank for Trevor is a thing of the past for Jacksonville.
