6 reasons NFL fans should get to know Lamar Jackson

Lamar Jackson is must-see TV.

The Louisville quarterback earned a Heisman Trophy in 2016 when he roasted opposing defenses for 51 total touchdowns — 31 passing and 20 rushing. The sophomore finished the season 10th in the nation in rushing yards, just 32 yards behind the No. 8 overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, Christian McCaffrey.

It’s likely Jackson’s turn to be a top draft pick next. While he’s a junior and could return for another year in 2018, he’s the favorite to win the Heisman again this season and he’s running out of things to prove against ACC defenses.

Louisville was no match for Clemson, especially the defense, but Jackson still had a solid outing. He finished with three touchdown passes and one pick, completing 21 of 42 attempts for 317 yards. He also ran 17 times for 64 yards. Most of his passing numbers came in the fourth quarter, when the Tigers defense finally dialed back the pressure just a bit.

Shortly after the end of the 2017 NFL Draft, SB Nation’s Dan Kadar posted his first mock draft for 2018. While an NFL and college football season will warp most of Kadar’s predictions, he was optimistic about the class of passers on the horizon.

USC’s Sam Darnold, UCLA’s Josh Rosen and Wyoming’s Josh Allen were projected as the top three picks, respectively. Not far behind was Oklahoma State’s Mason Rudolph at No. 8 and Jackson at No. 11.

But Allen struggled in the spotlight at the start of the season and the two quarterbacks in Los Angeles may not even enter the draft in the spring.

“I continue to hear that it’s possible that Sam Darnold is going to stay in school, and I continue to hear that it’s possible that Josh Rosen is going to stay in school,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter said on WEEI’s Kirk and Callahan Show on Friday.

There’s a very real possibility that Jackson will end up being a candidate — if not the favorite — to be the No. 1 overall selection for whatever NFL team is “lucky” enough to be that bad.

Even if you’re tuning in with your super serious scouting clipboard to take notes on Jackson’s NFL aptitude, it’s pretty easy to appreciate why he’s so fun to watch in the first place.

He makes a LOT of people miss and has enough strength and instincts as a runner to run north and south rather than just beat people to the edge with his speed.

Even when defenders get him dead to rights, he may go straight over the top.

Nobody in college football has a better highlight reel and, if nothing else, at least appreciate the times he’ll inevitably makes you say ‘wow’ Saturday.

While his ability to run is what makes him so exciting to watch, his capabilities as a passer will ultimately decide whether or not he’s an early draft selection and a successful NFL quarterback.

There’s no question he has the arm, but he’s shown better accuracy, anticipation and pocket presence in the first two games of 2017.

Against North Carolina, he avoided a pass rusher and — rather than take off and run, which he has been prone to do — reset his feet and fired a dart that traveled about 50 yards through the air and into the arms of his receiver for a huge touchdown.

Later in the game, he connected on a wide open 30-yard touchdown pass, but not to his first read. He was looking left at the beginning of the play before firing to a seam route.

Jackson isn’t a polished product yet, but Louisville coach Bobby Petrino has made an effort to prepare his quarterback for the NFL with more complicated looks and plays under center.

It’s still early in the season, but Jackson’s development from 2016 to 2017 is a good sign that he’ll be a player who can continue to hone his abilities as a passer when he moves into the professional ranks.

Sometimes the hardest part about watching and evaluating a college quarterback can be parsing through blowouts to find positives that weren’t just handed to them by a bad defense. The NFL is a lot faster with a lot bigger guys, so it’s important to see players tested against defenders that are actually going to make plays.

Seven of Louisville’s nine wins in 2016 were by at least 30 points. The team’s two wins to open the 2017 season haven’t been as drastic a margin (35-28 over Purdue; 47-35 over North Carolina), but that’s still 82 points in two games.

After Clemson, the only other team on the Louisville schedule that’s currently ranked in the top 25 is Florida State. So there could be plenty more touchdowns and scoring for Jackson in 2017, but Saturday they could be tough to come by.

A year ago, Jackson passed for 295 yards and rushed for 162 yards, but his three total touchdowns were topped by Deshaun Watson’s five passing touchdowns in a 42-36 loss. It would take an even more heroic effort for Jackson to have the same kind of numbers this time around.

Ok, so it’s not exactly a reason to be excited about watching Jackson against Clemson, but it’d be smart and realistic to temper expectations a bit.

“NFL fan, do not judge Lamar based only on this game,” SB Nation’s college football editor Jason Kirk warned. “If he balls out, like he did last year, be astounded.”

The key matchup — and the biggest reason Clemson is a road favorite — was the Louisville offensive line’s dubious matchup against the Clemson defensive line. And the Tigers got the better of it in their 47-21 win.

The Cardinals’ offensive line allowed Jackson to be hit far too often in 2016 and is still a big question mark in 2017 with three new starters. Meanwhile, the Tigers ate up Auburn last week to the tune of 11 sacks — nearly breaking a school record.

If an NFL fan is looking for more than just a quarterback when they tune in for Louisville and Clemson, defensive tackle Christian Wilkins is a hell of a place to start. The 310-pound defensive tackle is athletic enough to do the splits and was the first defensive lineman off the board in Kadar’s 2018 mock draft.

We cautioned you to temper your expectations for Jackson on Saturday, but it was a good chance to watch him handle a lot of pressure.

Former Colts general manager Bill Polian joined the ESPN LA Morning Show this week to talk football, but said Jackson may need to consider a transition to wide receiver based on his “girth and skill set.”

He’s not alone. Others have, and others will, make the same suggestion in the next few months.

Thankfully, the group of radio hosts — including former NFL receiver Keyshawn Johnson — reacted incredulously to Polian’s statement and disagreed. As well they should, because it’s ridiculous.

Jackson is a 6’3, 212-pound passer who can effortlessly launch balls with flicks of the wrist. Did you not see the gif earlier? Here have another:

He added size in his lower half during the 2017 offseason and is absolutely a quarterback. Being able to run and make the dazzling plays that earned Jackson a Heisman Trophy in 2016 is not a disqualifier for the position.

There’s a long history of implicit bias in football with players at many levels still placed — intentionally or otherwise — along racial divides.

“There is evidence that various levels of football still practice ‘stacking,’ placing athletes in certain positions based on racial stereotypes,” SB Nation’s Tyler Tynes wrote in 2016. “Most commonly: white men are pushed into alleged ‘authoritarian’ or ‘thinking’ roles (quarterback, offensive line, middle linebacker), where black men are pigeonholed to ‘athletic’ roles (receivers, cornerbacks, running backs).”

It wasn’t that long ago that ESPN’s Todd McShay said Robert Griffin III would be a fourth-round wide receiver. Attempting to do the same with Jackson would be just as misguided.

Lamar Jackson is a quarterback, ladies and gentlemen.