How did C.J. Stroud, Bill Belichick, Dane Brugler and others react to the 23rd pick?
We’ve gathered Day 1 grades and reactions from several national media outlets to provide a fresh perspective on how the Jacksonville Jaguars fared in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft.
You can find all our coverage of the event at our Jaguars draft hub.
From Underdog Fantasy
Hayden Winks’s grade: A+
Before making this selection, the Jaguars added the equivalent to a second round pick by trading down from 16th overall. That’s already a major win for a team that has holes. On top of that, Thomas was major value compared to my board (#13) and fits perfectly into this offense. He’ll be given the Calvin Ridley role as a sideline vertical option during his rookie season while he develops a full route tree. He has the athleticism to be on the DK Metcalf arc and should open things up for Lawrence on downfield passing concepts.
“I like him a lot. I like guys that can really run,” former Jaguars offensive coordinator Jay Gruden said on their live draft show (timestamp: 2:36:20). “They desperately needed some guy to take the top off, and this guy can do it. One of every four catches was a touchdown last year, this guy is insane.”
Former NFL Colt McCoy was also on the show and loved the pick. He pointed out that Thomas Jr. is set up well because he’ll be able to learn so much from Christian Kirk and Gabe Davis.
The Athletic
Nick Baumgardner and Scott Dochterman’s grade: A-
After losing receiver Calvin Ridley in free agency, the Jaguars needed a replacement who could stretch the field and develop into a No. 1 option for quarterback Trevor Lawrence. Thomas might cover both needs. He’s got tremendous athletic ability and is capable of catching double-digit touchdown passes as a rookie.
“Thank God” were the first words out of Nate Tice’s mouth on their live draft show (timestamp: 3:19:00). “This is what I’ve been wanting the Jaguars to do since they’ve gotten Trevor- get an X!”
Robert Mays added, “I love this, even if it meant passing on the corner. They both compared Thomas Jr. to Brandon Aiyuk (as a prospect).
Bleacher Report
Brent Sobleski’s grade: C+
Thomas may not be viewed as a true No. 1 target as the others were for their respective teams. But the second-team All-SEC selection has the skill set to break games wide open with the way he can tilt the field to the offense’s advantage.
Trevor Lawrence certainly has weapons around him now. The quarterback will have to bring along the rookie, though.
“His top speed is off the charts,” Mike Renner said on their live draft show (timestamp: 3:10:40). “So his flying 20 — the last 20 yards of the 40-yard dash at the combine — was the exact same as Nate Wiggins and it was faster than Xavier Worthy’s, the fastest of anyone at the combine. When he gets a step on you, he doesn’t give it back.” Renner said he loved the pick and the fit, and he gave the Jags an “A” grade.
“The ball gets out of [Trevor Lawrence’s] hands so fast, I think this is good for him to finally be able to hold onto it and get it down the field,” Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud commented. “I threw with BT this offseason, and what stood out to me was just how smooth he is … I won’t say he’s exactly Chris Olave, but they have similar games.”
“You know we actually had the 23rd pick, so you never know — and at this time we didn’t have Stef [Diggs] — so I didn’t know what was gonna happen, so I wanted to throw with that guy and give our GM a heads up on what I thought about him. I think it’s cool. BT is nice.”
Pro Football Focus
The staff’s grade: “Good”
The Jaguars add another weapon to a wide receiver room that includes Gabe Davis, Christian Kirk and Zay Jones. Thomas’ calling card is his explosive speed and ability to win vertically. He led the nation in 2023 with a 99.9 PFF deep receiving grade and 12 deep receiving touchdowns. He’ll instantly threaten safeties vertically, and if he improves his route running, he has WR1 potential.
“So he’s a big, fast receiver that has incredible traits, but I think there’s a lot of concern that he is very much a one-trick pony at one point,” Sam Monson said on their live draft show (timestamp: 3:01:25). “The question is, is he ever going to be more than that?”
“[Thomas Jr.] and Gave Davis basically the exact same thing,” Trevor Sikkema said. “So is Jacksonville’s offense, is Press Taylor and Doug Pederson, are they going to be more willing to just be a vertical shot offense? To really push the ball down the field a lot? Because if not, if they’re not willing to do that, then they’re either going to be redundant or they’re going to be putting one of their receivers in a place where they’re just not naturally going to win this year … this now has to be a completely vertical offense.”
NFL Media
Chad Reuter’s grade: A
The Jaguars smartly traded down six spots in the first round to gain a middle-round pick this year and two in 2025. They may have selected Thomas at No. 17 if they stayed. Along with using his speed and length to separate downfield, he can also adjust to underthrown balls. Calvin Ridley departed in free agency, Christian Kirk is coming off an injury and Zay Jones is a 2025 free agent, so Trevor Lawrence should be thrilled with this pick.
“The Jacksonville Jaguars lost Calvin Ridley, they lost out on a playmaker, so they were determined to get someone on the outside that was big, fast, physical and could give them that vertical element,” Bucky Brooks said on their live draft show (timestamp: 2:46:30). “When you talk to the coaches down at LSU, they just talk about how gifted he is. And look, the tape doesn’t lie. This dude makes plays, had 17 balls in the paint, [which] led FBS when it comes to touchdowns.”
“They now can push the ball down the field vertically… got to keep those defenses from squatting like they were the last year or so.”
ESPN
From Mel Kiper’s winners and losers:
This is how to maneuver the draft board. I mentioned the Vikings trading with the Jaguars, and to move down six spots from No. 17 to No. 23, Jacksonville was able to add No. 167 and third- and fourth-round picks in next year’s draft. What did GM Trent Baalke do when he moved down? He took the player he would have picked at No. 17.
Thomas could fill the void left by Calvin Ridley, who signed with the Titans in free agency. Thomas is a tremendous deep threat who can run under rainbow throws from Trevor Lawrence. I love this fit.
“This guy’s got, you know, breakaway speed, good size,” Bill Belichick said on Pat McAfee’s live draft show (timestamp: 3:26:20). “[Thomas Jr.] played with a lot of other good players obviously, the quarterback [Jayden Daniels] and [Malik] Nabers, [Mason] Taylor the tight end. They have a very explosive offense but he’s a good complimentary receiver, he can take the top off the defense for sure.”
USA Today
Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz‘s grade: B-
It’s hard to argue against the concept of providing Trevor Lawrence more help after Calvin Ridley left to join the Tennessee Titans this offseason. Still, it’s more than a bit surprising that Jacksonville spurned Quinyon Mitchell once and Terrion Arnold twice given the shaky situation at cornerback. Thomas can be a premier deep threat after averaging 17.3 yards per catch last season and hauling in 17 touchdowns, but he sort of resembles a supercharged Gabe Davis at this point. Lawrence and Doug Pederson will have to figure out how to bring the pieces to this passing attack together into something cohesive.
Yahoo Sports
Charles McDonald’s grade: B+
The Jaguars get brownie points for trading down here. Thomas is an explosive wide receiver who has the physical frame the Jaguars needed in their wide receiver room. Thomas is a bit raw on some of the finer points of wide receiver play, but there’s no doubting his potential to be a truly dynamic playmaker in the NFL.
CBS Sports
Pete Prisco’s grade: B+
This is a heck of a move for a team that needs another young weapon. He can fly and his best football is in front of him. Watch out for their offense in 2024.
The Ringer
Danny Kelly’s grade: B+
This is one of the most fun (and most predicted) player-team pairings in the draft thus far. Thomas is an absolute blazer of a pass catcher, a guy who can quickly get up to top speed and run away from even the most explosive defenders. He comes with more risk than some of the other receivers still on the board, in my view, as he’s still raw as a route runner and has only one season of high-end production. But he has a high, high ceiling, and he emerged last year for LSU as a touchdown scorer of the highest level. I’m looking forward to watching him catch moon-ball touchdowns from Trevor Lawrence. As a bonus, the Jags traded back and still landed their guy.
SB Nation
J.P Acosta’s grade: A-
This pick has the potential to become a home run if Thomas Jr’s medicals check out. If he’s healthy, he’s a perfect fit for what the Jaguars need offensively. He’s big, fast and can get downfield in a hurry. He’s still growing in the route running department but the Jaguars need someone who is tall and fast on the outside. Jacksonville was able to trade down and still add a high ceiling receiver to their offense. Let’s rock and roll.
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