National Football League

Can Trevor Lawrence resurrect Jacksonville by reaching superstar status?

Updated Aug. 26, 2021 6:10 p.m. ET

If it wasn't already clear on draft night, the Trevor Lawrence era in Jacksonville is officially underway.

After two preseason games, the first overall pick of the 2021 NFL Draft has officially been named the starting quarterback for the Jaguars in their Week 1 matchup with the Houston Texans.

Lawrence won the starting job over Gardner Minshew with back-to-back solid showings for the Jaguars against the Cleveland Browns and New Orleans Saints, completing 20 of 32 passes for 184 yards.

While the expectation was always for Lawrence to be the starter, does it mean he is destined for superstardom? Few No. 1 picks in recent memory have been as heralded as Lawrence coming into the league.

Names that come to mind are Andrew Luck (No. 1 pick – 2012; four-time Pro Bowler), Jadeveon Clowney (No. 1 pick – 2014, three-time Pro Bowler), and even last year's No. 1 Joe Burrow.

With that in mind, on Thursday, the trio of Nick Wright, Kevin Wildes and Eric Mangini debated Lawrence's ceiling on "First Things First," sharing how confident they are that Lawrence becomes one of the game's greats.

ERIC MANGINI

Confidence level: 50%
Mangini's thoughts: "I'm cautiously optimistic, with the cautiously with a capital C and the optimistic with a lowercase o. Look at the last 20 years. Who's been a superstar that was drafted No. 1 overall? There has only been one guy that's won a Super Bowl as a starter. That was Eli Manning. There was Andrew Luck – you could argue that he was. There was Cam Newton and Michael Vick. Were those guys the superstar status where you look at winning Super Bowls?"

NICK WRIGHT

Confidence level: 95%
Wright's thoughts: "Coach, you're only looking at the last 20 years. Let's take a wider lens. In the modern draft, the first No. 1 overall pick quarterback is Terry Bradshaw – four Super Bowl wins. Is that enough Super Bowl wins for you? What about John Elway? Went to five and won two of them."

KEVIN WILDES

Confidence level: 96%
Wildes' thoughts: "Troy [Aikman] started 0-11, and obviously was fantastic. Peyton Manning went 3-13 his rookie year – also a No. 1 overall pick."

Both Wright and Wildes are high on Lawrence's prospects at success, and if using recent history as an indicator, there is reason to be.

Baker Mayfield, Kyler Murray and Joe Burrow were each drafted first overall in the previous three NFL Drafts. Mayfield threw 27 touchdown passes as a rookie and led the Browns to the playoffs in 2020, while Murray was Offensive Rookie of the Year in his first year and a Pro Bowl selection in his second season.

Burrow was unable to finish his rookie season due to injury, but in his first 10 games, he threw 13 touchdown passes to just five interceptions.

Whether Lawrence can lift the Jaguars from the bottom of the NFL to contention remains to be seen, but neither Mayfield, Murray or Burrow were as highly-regarded as T-Law coming out of college.

The mystery is if those high praises will equal NFL success for Lawrence.

Watch the full video from "First Things First" below.