Clemson Football: 3 areas Trevor Lawrence must improve to win Heisman

3. Improving deep-ball accuracy

Elite arm strength and high-end accuracy – the combination that makes Trevor Lawrence truly unique and special.

Lawrence excels at every short to intermediate pass he’s asked to throw. His quick release on smoke screens, his pin-point accuracy while delivering slants and his raw power while accurately slinging ropes from the hashes to the opposite sideline ignited Clemson’s offense to nearly unstoppable levels in 2018.

Where Lawrence struggled the most, however, was in deep ball situations (25 yards or more) that required a combination of touch and power.

That being said, Lawrence wasn’t awful on deep throws, but was overall inconsistent in giving his receivers a chance to make a play.

For example, against Boston College – in one of the few games the Clemson offense struggled – Lawrence went a pedestrian two for seven on passes that traveled 25 yards or further. And these passes weren’t 50/50 balls broken up by the defense; Lawrence simply overthrew most of them.

Even in blowouts, Lawrence struggled finding the range: going just one for five on deep balls against NC State and Florida State.

With tall and athletic returning receivers like Tee Higgins and Justyn Ross, if Lawrence can reign in his strength and give his more than capable receivers a chance to catch the ball deep down the field, the Clemson offense will unlock a new level of potency.