Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence was selected No. 1 overall in the 2021 NFL Draft by the Jacksonville Jaguars on Thursday night to the surprise of no one. The 6-foot-6, 220-pounder and 2018 national championship-winner was the consensus top prospect in this draft class for the better part of a year.
He made a little bit of history in the process.
Lawrence is just the second player in the recruiting era to be picked No. 1 overall after being ranked as the No. 1 prospect in his high school recruiting class. Lawrence, who hails from Cartersville (Georgia) High School, was the No. 1 prospect in the Class of 2018 when he signed with Dabo Swinney and the Tigers, and he's the sixth-highest ranked player in the history of the 247Sports Composite rankings.
The only other No. 1 prospect to be picked first overall was ex-South Carolina defensive end Jadeveon Clowney, who was the top pick in the 2014 NFL Draft by the Houston Texans. Clowney, who is the top-ranked prospect of all time, signed with the Gamecocks out of South Pointe High School in Rock Hill, South Carolina.
Lawrence's high school accolades are well-documented. He was the 2017 247Sports National Player of the Year, USA Today Offensive Player of the Year, Maxwell Football Club Offensive Player of the Year, and he played in the 2018 U.S. Army All-American Bowl. He threw for 3,290 yards, 41 touchdowns and only one interception during his senior season in high school, compiling 13,902 yards, 161 touchdowns and 21 touchdowns in four years as the starter at Cartersville.
Lawrence's college career went about as smoothly as it did in high school. He threw for 10,098 yards, 90 touchdowns and 17 interceptions in his three seasons with the Tigers. Lawrence led Clemson to the national championship as a freshman in 2018 after stepping in as the starter during the fifth game of the season. He finished second in the 2020 Heisman Trophy voting behind Alabama's DeVonta Smith after throwing for 3,153 yards and 24 touchdowns in 10 games this season.
