The hype train for Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence is nearly full ahead of the 2023 NFL season. Jaguars coach Doug Pederson has a front-row seat. Pederson hasn't been shy about praising Trevor Lawrence, continuing to do so with Week 1 about to begin.

The Jaguars took Lawrence with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. After the Jaguars' quarterback had a disappointing rookie campaign under Urban Meyer, Pederson helped Lawrence get to the divisional round of the playoffs in the signal caller's sophomore season. Pederson is ready for the quarterback to take another step forward this year.

“He’s the real deal,” Pederson said of Lawrence, via Sky Sports. “He’s a sponge on the practice field, he’s a great communicator with us as a staff, great leader. He’s the guy we all anticipated he was, and he is. We’re excited for that. He’s still young. He’s got a lot of ball ahead of him.”

Expectations are sky-high for Lawrence, who was considered to be one of the best quarterback prospects of the last decade.

Lawrence's stats dramatically improved from 2021 to 2022. The 23-year-old completed 66.3% of his passes for 4,113 yards, 25 touchdowns and eight interceptions. Lawrence was particularly impressive in the second half of last season. It culminated with a four-touchdown performance in the Jaguars' 27-point comeback against the Los Angeles Chargers on Wild-Card Weekend.

Jacksonville is a heavy betting favorite to win the 2023 AFC South championship. Only a handful of quarterbacks have better odds than Lawrence to win the 2023 NFL MVP award.

The Jaguars went 3-0 in the preseason. Jacksonville opens the regular season with a Week 1 matchup against the Indianapolis Colts. The Jaguars will likely be favored in three of their first four games.