​There is no greater ingredient for success in the NFL than a team having a player who is a franchise cornerstone.Sure, it’s great to have depth throughout the roster. Balance is also nice.But nothing beats a true franchise player that an organization can build a team around. If you’re lucky, that player is your quarterback. However, it can be a dominant edge rusher, a stud wide receiver or running back, or a terrific left tackle who can protect his QB’s blind side. If you already have one of those, you can put some extra focus into getting that franchise quarterback.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe Jacksonville Jaguars are fortunate to have one of the most valuable franchise players in the NFL, and he just so happens to be their quarterback.Brad Gagnon of Bleacher Report ranked his top-20 true franchise players in the NFL, and Jaguars’ QB Trevor Lawrence came in 5th.For his rankings, Gagnon had some basic guidelines. The players could be no older than 28, still be on the team that drafted them, and have at least one year of NFL experience (no rookies).Although that makes some of the league’s best players ineligible, like Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, and Myles Garrett, having a top-5 player on this list puts Jacksonville in a great position to achieve sustained success.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementGagnon believes that Lawrence has elite talent and credits Jaguars’ head coach Liam Coen for finally bringing it out of him.”Let’s look at it broadly. Lawrence is an undeniably talented 26-year-old former No. 1 overall pick who posted 15 touchdown passes to one interception and a 113.2 passer rating in his last six games as the Jaguars went 8-0 to conclude the 2025 regular season.”Even with a soft schedule and a small sample, it appears he has finally hit a groove in head coach Liam Coen’s offense. There’s little reason to doubt that progress will continue as the two grow together in Year 2.”AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementLawrence has already spoken about the difference he feels in his second year in Coen’s system, saying that having to learn another new offense was “stressful mentally” last season. Now that he is more comfortable and able to focus on the details, Lawrence could reach an even higher level in 2026.Only four players in the entire NFL (who fit Gagnon’s guidelines) ranked higher than Lawrence. Who were they?All were young franchise quarterbacks.Justin Herbert of the Los Angeles Chargers was 4th, followed by Philadelphia Eagles’ QB Jalen Hurts. Second went to the Washington Commanders’ Jayden Daniels, and Drake Maye of the New England Patriots was number one.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementDid Lawrence deserve to be ranked above any of the top 4?Personally, I would rather have Lawrence than Herbert, who is two years older and still hasn’t won a playoff game. Herbert has tantalizing talent but hasn’t quite reached his ceiling yet, making it fair to wonder if he ever will.It is very surprising t