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Louisville Football: Jackson Earns Pro Football Focus Season Award

By Derek Snyder

Dec 31, 2016; Orlando , FL, USA; Louisville Cardinals quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) runs the ball against the LSU Tigers during the second half of the Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl at Camping World Stadium. The LSU Tigers defeated the Louisville Cardinals 29-9. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Dyer-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 31, 2016; Orlando , FL, USA; Louisville Cardinals quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) runs the ball against the LSU Tigers during the second half of the Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl at Camping World Stadium. The LSU Tigers defeated the Louisville Cardinals 29-9. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Dyer-USA TODAY Sports /
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We take a look at which award Louisville football player Lamar Jackson earned from the writers from Pro Football Focus.

Louisville football quarterback Lamar Jackson became the 2016 Heisman Trophy winner because of his incredible 2016 season. He exploded onto the scene this year with amazing touchdown runs and incredible arm strength that was good enough to lead the Cards to a 9-4 record.

If the Cardinals offensive line would have been playing better at the end of the season, then you never know how far this team could have gone. However, what’s done is done and now the Louisville program is looking toward taking the next step in 2017.

Pro Football Focus just released their award winners from the 2016 season and Jackson wasn’t their “Player of the Year” or their “Quarterback of the Year”.

However, he was able to grab at least one award in their article.

Take a look at which honor Pro Football Focus gave Lamar Jackson this season,  according to John Breitenbach from PFF’s website:

"BREAKOUT PLAYER OF THE YEARLamar Jackson, QB, LouisvillePFF grade: 87.8; Pos. rank: 7“A difficult end to the season should not distract onlookers from Jackson’s incredible year. He flashed plenty of potential as a 2015 freshman, but truly emerged as a legitimate star in 2016. To announce his arrival, he dropped nine first-half touchdowns on lowly Charlotte, blowing them away in the opening moments. Tallying 51 total touchdowns (21 rushing) across the season is a fantastic feat.Jackson’s rushing production exploded his sophomore year. He collected 1,887 yards on 215 carries after posting 1,144 on 141 attempts the season prior. Jackson also boosted his average after contact from 3 to 4, and upped his broken tackle count from 37 to 53. He ended the season with a rushing grade of 96.2, good for second in the nation. The Heisman winner is electric in the open field, capable of outrunning defenders with the angle through sheer speed. Coupled with crazy lateral agility, Jackson represents a defensive coordinator’s worst nightmare.”"

Jackson didn’t win their quarterback of the year or their best player award, but this is just one group of writer’s opinions. There were other quarterbacks this year that were more accurate, which was probably why a guy like Baker Mayfield got the nod.

The biggest key for Lamar Jackson is how much he can improve going forward. If we’re being honest with ourselves, he missed some wide open receivers against LSU in the Citrus Bowl.

There’s a lot to be said about a quarterback’s mentality when playing behind a terrible offensive line, but if he wants to become an elite quarterback, he must learn to make those types of throws downfield.

Next: CBS Sports' Top Rated Cardinals Going Into The 2017 NFL Draft

With that being said, he’s not far away from becoming a great passer. He has an extremely quick release and generally does a fine job working through his progressions. However, he must improve in all of these areas before Louisville can even think about the College Football Playoff in 2017.

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