Heisman Trophy winner Joe Burrow might be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft, but that doesn't mean he's the college football quarterback with the most NFL potential.
Using Pro Football Focus grades, stats and some projection, we ranked all 80 bowl-game starting quarterbacks based on their NFL draft prospects. At No. 1? Clemson's Trevor Lawrence, a sophomore who also topped this list a year ago.
Although many of the signal-callers are not yet draft-eligible, several already have shown areas for optimism and others areas for concern, and it's never too early to look ahead to the prospects in future classes (all stats are from PFF, and data is available for FBS quarterbacks only):
1. Trevor Lawrence, Clemson Tigers
Year: Sophomore
It's difficult to go against the man who has yet to lose a college football game. Lawrence might not be playing at the level Burrow is now, but on the other hand, we've never seen anyone play at the level Lawrence has in his freshman and sophomore seasons. There's really not a single thing about the position he can't do at a high level, as indicated by his 90.7 grade last season and 91.5 this season. He'll be in contention to be the No. 1 overall pick in 2021.
Bowl matchup: Ohio State in the Playstation Fiesta Bowl
2. Joe Burrow, LSU Tigers
Year: Senior
There's no shame in finishing runner-up to the golden boy from Clemson. Burrow doesn't have a big arm like Lawrence, but he has accuracy the likes of which we've never seen. He has been accurate on 72.3% of his passes targeted beyond the line of scrimmage this season. Second place is 65.8%.
Bowl matchup: Oklahoma in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl
3. Justin Fields, Ohio State Buckeyes
Year: Sophomore
Fields is one of the best dual-threat quarterbacks we've graded since Cam Newton. He ranks third in the nation in accuracy on passes 10-plus yards downfield. In the run game, he's a battering ram who can run a sub-4.6 40-yard dash at 220 pounds. While he has thrown only one pick, fumbles have been a problem for Fields, as he has 11 on the season. He could compete with Lawrence to be the top QB in the 2021 class.