Jaguars' Trevor Lawrence Hyped by AFC Exec: He's 'Going to Be a Beast'

Two years after being the most-hyped quarterback prospect in nearly a decade and after leading the Jacksonville Jaguars to the playoffs last season, the hype continues to build for Trevor Lawrence.

One AFC executive told ESPN's Jeremy Fowler that Lawrence is "going to be a beast."

The discussion was part of a conversation about which quarterback who made the playoffs for the first time in 2022 would be more difficult to face: Lawrence or Justin Herbert.

The executive said Herbert is "a little further along at this stage" of his career and should be in a better situation with Kellen Moore taking over as offensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Chargers.

But Lawrence, based on the second half of last season, looks poised to join the ranks of the NFL's elite quarterbacks. He threw for 2,273 yards, 15 touchdowns and two interceptions with a 69.7 completion percentage over the final nine regular-season games.

Advanced metrics showed those stats were strongly indicative of a leap forward for Lawrence.

It's safe to say at this point Lawrence's rookie season can be dismissed. He threw for 3,691 yards, 12 touchdowns and 17 interceptions in a chaotic situation with Urban Meyer as head coach.

The Jaguars went 7-2 over their final nine games after Lawrence turned his season around. They defeated Herbert and the Chargers, 31-30, in the AFC Wild Card round by erasing a 27-0 first-half deficit.

It was Jacksonville's first playoff victory since reaching the AFC Championship Game in January 2018.

The Jaguars' offense figures to be even better this season with Lawrence and head coach Doug Pederson entering their second year together. Calvin Ridley is going to be the No. 1 wide receiver after being acquired from the Atlanta Falcons in October 2022.

Optimism is understandably high in Jacksonville. Lawrence is a 23-year-old budding superstar at the most important position on the field.

There's still work for the front office to do filling out the roster around the young quarterback to make the Jaguars a Super Bowl contender, but this is as exciting as the franchise has been going into a season in many years.