Max Kellerman: Starting Trevor Lawrence Might Be a Mistake

Trevor Lawrence was officially named the starting QB for the Jacksonville Jaguars today. Most reactions ranged from "as expected" to "why did this take so long?"

Max Kellerman did not react like that. He instead chose to question if this was the smart decision. If starting Lawrence, the No. 1 overall pick and the most coveted QB prospect to come out in quite a while, was a mistake.

Kellerman is clearly taking advantage of the limited time he has left on First Take to empty the chamber. Only on this show are contrarian opinions such as this not only welcome but expected and celebrated.

Now, one can follow his line of logic. The Jaguars are indeed an awful team with a Swiss cheese offensive line and whoever is under center will take more than their fair share of hits over the course of the year. It is not unheard of for a tough rookie season to tank a player's career, especially at quarterback. It isn't common by any means, but it isn't outside the realm of possibility.

But if any team played it that safe, no rookies would ever play anywhere. It's just not realistic. Lawrence is supposed to revitalize the Jaguars and turn them into a good team. The only way to do that is by stepping onto the field. He might be progressing through his reads slowly right now-- because he's a rookie and the only way to get better is live game action. They can't just keep him in a glass case forever. The risk is part of the reward.

No matter what happens, starting Lawrence will be classified as anything but a mistake. It's what they have to do. Jacksonville needs to see if he's their guy. Holding off until the team gets better is a pipe dream, especially for a team that has been perennially awful for over a decade.