Bill Belichick has notable praise for highly-touted rookie

Bill Belichick is not known for offering a lot of praise for players, particularly those on other teams. On Friday, the New England Patriots coach did offer a ringing endorsement to a rival rookie.

Belichick said Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence has improved throughout the season, and that the first overall pick has the chance to be “great.”

“I think he’s gotten more comfortable as the season’s gone on and gotten comfortable with the offense,” Belichick said, via Grant Gordon of NFL.com. “I’d say the offense has gotten comfortable with the things that he does best. Definitely, a good level of execution there. They did a good job last week against the Jets, mixing in different varieties of passes: quick throws, moving pocket throws, deep balls, third down conversions, red area plays. He’s pretty good at all of them and continues to get better. I think he’s had a good year and I think he’ll be a solid NFL player, maybe great. I don’t know, but he’s certainly made a lot of progress this year.”

Statistically, Lawrence definitely has room to grow. He has just nine touchdowns to 14 interceptions on the year, though he does not have a great amount of talent around him. The Jaguars certainly still believe in him judging from the role they’re planning to give him as they hunt for a new head coach. A Belichick endorsement certainly can’t hurt his stock either.

Photo: Oct 10, 2021; Houston, Texas, USA; New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick reacts during the second quarter against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports