Trevor Lawrence film study: Clemson QB dazzles with big plays against The Citadel

Trevor Lawrence dominated The Citadel with big throws in Week 2. We’ll be breaking down every throw of his vital 2020 season each week.

One of three names that has dominated the headlines over the past three years of college football is finally at what should be the pinnacle of his career. Being NFL-draft eligible as a third-year player is a massive career point for Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence. As much as he’s accomplished to this point with the Tigers, this is the year he’ll be under the most scrutiny.

Lawrence has been under the microscope since the start of his career because of his recruiting status and immense talent. The lanky passer has proven clutch, deadly, and capable of tremendous accomplishments. Though Joe Burrow laid claim to the best season ever for a collegiate quarterback in 2019, Lawrence has the chance to be the best all-time college quarterback.

We’re going to track him closely each week and analyze his play with close scrutiny as the future top draft pick progresses. His raw stats don’t matter as much as his process, which we’ll track by counting catchable passes and situational effectiveness. I’ve tracked over 70 individuals’ seasons since 2012, and Lawrence’s data already compares to some of the best prospects we’ve seen in that timeframe.

Lawrence was impressive in Week 1 thanks to his mental acuity and sharpness. He picked apart the Wake Forest Demon Deacons with efficiency. But Week 2 foe The Citadel saw the other side of Lawrence, which produces huge chunk plays.

With only nine pass attempts in two quarters, Lawrence tallied eight completions for 168 yards and three touchdowns. This was obviously not a game we’ll gain much from since the competition was so low but we’re able to isolate Lawrence’s self-improvement and mechanics that’ll translate to the next level.

And luckily for us, he provided four standout throws that highlight his talent level and transcend the lower competition level. No matter where he’s at next year, hitting throws like the ones to come will be catchable balls and high-end plays.

One thing really stood out during Week 2’s beatdown performance: Lawrence is fully healthy and hasn’t started anywhere near as slow as 2019. He was dealing with a shoulder injury this time last season and his play was sloppy, inefficient and reliant on big plays. He was hammered by pundits because expectations were so high.

His mechanics have been silky smooth and consistent, and his passes have excellent velocity to all levels of the field. Much of that was absent for the first-half of 2019.

The lone incompletion of the game was his first pass attempt. The throw was solid and on target on his rollout to the right as pressure clamped down. He had an underneath option but chose to go with the receiver beyond the first down marker, and led him in stride with a slightly-high but catchable pass.

He squared his shoulders perfectly in order to not only protect himself from the oncoming hit, but also to deliver an accurate pass. Lawrence was prone to using more arm than full-body mechanics and alignment, causing passes to float or flat-out miss on attempts that are reasonable to expect completions on.

This was one of two throws made outside of the pocket on the day. Of the remaining seven attempts, one was behind the line of scrimmage, and six were at least 11 yards downfield through the air. Lawrence had been more methodical last week but became a huge-play hunter this week.

His first touchdown throw was a good example of keeping an aggressive mindset and attempting throws that must be hit in the NFL to be a star. From the 17-yard line, Lawrence finds his target with slight leverage on the skinny post. The defender is right on his hip but doesn’t have the inside step, and there’s no safety to be concerned about.

There’s one throw that gets the ball into this passing window and Lawrence nails it with a laser past the hands of the nearby defender. On the second angle we see him get enough height on the throw to beat the underneath linebacker as well. His placement had to be exact or else this is an interception or pass breakup.

His second and third touchdowns were deep bombs. The next throw he attempted after the 17-yard touchdown is this 44-yarder above. This is a three-man route pattern off the play-action, and Lawrence has time to see the deep post emerge. His receiver has about one-yard of separation, which is not a significant amount when considering the back of the end zone acts as another defender.

The ball couldn’t be placed better. The receiver maintains stride to the catch point about 1.5 yards before the end of the field. There’s no way for the defender to make an impact on the ball.

This is the result of a perfectly balanced drop back from the snap and climb in the pocket. His leggy-stance was a hindrance at times in year’s past, leading to an average deep throwing accuracy number. But he’s been almost perfect in 2020 with better weight distribution.

His third and final touchdown had similar characteristics. His target is more open since he was running on the wider field side, and his move outside created more space to work with. Lawrence immediately draws to attack that defender with a pump fake and efficiently steps into his throw for a looping deep ball.

The throw lands softly on the inside shoulder of the receiver, making it easy for him to continue upfield without breaking stride for the last 10 yards into the end zone. It’s unlikely he’ll see clean pockets like this too often in the NFL and that much of a passing window but it’s a throw easily translatable even with some pressure and a defender closer by thanks to how smooth his process has become.

Overall, Lawrence was a perfect nine-for-nine with catchable balls. He had only one third-down attempt and was under pressure twice. It was a game with almost no pushback from a lower-level team but Lawrence crushed his opportunity. Things will ramp up in Week 5 when he faces Virginia.