The NFL Draft season of 2024 is upon us.
The Jacksonville Jaguars, one of the 32 clubs assembling their squads to compete for the next Lombardi Trophy, have nine picks in this season’s draft, including the No. 17 overall pick.
As we get closer to the April draft, we’ll look at individual draft prospects and how they might fit in with the Jaguars. Instead of focusing on the negatives, we’ll look at what the players do well and whether they can fit what the Jaguars require in a given role or position.
Next up is LSU wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr.
Thomas Jr., a Louisiana native, was listed as a four-star recruit in the 2021 class by 247Sports. He was the No. 89 recruit nationally, the No. 13 overall receiver, and the No. 4 recruit in his state. Prior to committing to LSU, Thomas Jr. had offers from Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Louisiana, Miami, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, South Alabama, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Virginia, and Washington State. Thomas Jr. caught 68 catches for 1,177 yards (17.3 average) and 17 touchdowns for LSU in 2023, earning third-team All-America and second-team SEC honors.
Thomas Jr., a Louisiana native, was listed as a four-star recruit in the 2021 class by 247Sports. He was the No. 89 recruit nationally, the No. 13 overall receiver, and the No. 4 recruit in his state. Prior to committing to LSU, Thomas Jr. had offers from Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Louisiana, Miami, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, South Alabama, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Virginia, and Washington State. Thomas Jr. caught 68 catches for 1,177 yards (17.3 average) and 17 touchdowns for LSU in 2023, earning third-team All-America and second-team SEC honors.
Thomas Jr. then adds to his toolbox by displaying an explosive first step off the line of scrimmage. Thomas Jr. has legit speed and can get on top of cornerbacks in a hurry, forcing them to flip their hips early in a route thanks to his presence and the danger of vertical speed. Thomas’ explosiveness and ability to keep corners off of him off the snap give him the ability to beat press coverage frequently.
Aside from being a legit deep threat who can run by defenders and get behind a secondary, Thomas Jr. also shows ball-tracking skills to take advantage of his speed. He is excellent at bringing in passes outside of his frame due to his combination of length and ball skills, making him as dangerous of a deep threat as there is in this class. Thomas Jr.’s natural athletic traits also make him a threat after the catch. Whether on drag routes or quick-hitting slant routes, he shows the quickness and flexibility to quickly snap out of routes and transition from a receiver into a ball-carrier. HOW BRIAN THOMAS JR. WOULD FIT WITH THE JAGUARS This is the biggest question when it comes to Thomas Jr. The Jaguars clearly don’t have anyone on the roster with his blend of size, length and speed, so he would bring a different element to the roster immediately. He would also give the Jaguars another red-zone jump-ball option after the Jaguars’ receivers struggled in the red-zone a year ago.
With that said, the Jaguars aren’t really missing a deep threat as long as they retain Calvin Ridley. They missed a big receiver on their roster a year ago, but Ridley was more than enough as a deep threat. What they instead were missing via a big receiver was a contested catch specialist who could win jump balls downfield and be an accuracy eraser for Trevor Lawrence. Thomas Jr., for all of the impressive traits he has, isn’t that receiver. He is more of a pure burner and vertical threat who is at his best when asked to run by cornerbacks. He isn’t likely to be a great contested catch receiver in the NFL, so he isn’t the exact type of receiver the Jaguars have been missing. He would elevate Lawrence as a vertical threat, but the need for a ball-winner would still be present.
VERDICT It’s simple to see why Thomas’ stock has soared. Few 6-foot-4, 215-pound receivers can run like Thomas. He is a legitimate deep threat with the body of a power forward. With his amazing productivity in 2023, it’s easy to see why he’s being teased so early on.
Nonetheless, it is a tad expensive for me. Especially given the Jaguars’ offensive needs. Thomas can take the top off defenses, but can he be the contested catch weapon Trevor Lawrence appears to lack? This looks less likely. At No. 17, I’ll have to say probably not. It is a different story if he is still available at No. 48.
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