3 things to know about Brian Thomas Jr.

Get to know the Jaguars’ new additions from draft weekend with our ‘3 things to know’ series.

With the 2024 NFL Draft in the books, it’s time to reflect on how the Jacksonville Jaguars fared. Did Trent Baalke deliver a masterclass, or has he just set the Jags back five years?

Truth is, we probably won’t know that for some time. But we can get to know the newest members of the team a little bit better. In the first of a mini-series of deep dives, here are three things to know about 17th overall pick Brian Thomas Jr.

One of the most productive receivers in LSU history

Baalke does not have a good track record of drafting receivers, but in Brian Thomas Jr., he has every chance of breaking the mold – the former LSU Tiger was a bonafide STUD at the college level. A contributor as a true freshman, Thomas spent just three years in Baton Rouge, but quickly left his mark. In 38 games for the Tigers, he recorded 127 catches for 1,897 yards and 24 touchdowns.

Even more exciting for Jags fans is how it doesn’t seem like the receiver has even scratched the surface of his potential yet. After roughly 360 yards in each of Thomas’ two years, he EXPLODED in 2023, becoming both a vertical and redzone threat. In 13 games, he racked up 1,177 yards and 17 touchdowns, with an astonishing 17.3 yards per catch. Jacksonville would take those numbers for his rookie campaign in a heartbeat. These feats saw Thomas named an AP All-American, a second-team All-SEC and nominated as a semifinalist for the Biletnikoff Award – given to the best receiver in the nation.

An important part of the LSU offense, Thomas teamed with fellow pass catcher Malik Nabers to give their team the most productive wide receiver tandem in college football in 2023 – combining for 157 receptions, 2,746 yards and 31 TDs. The Tigers led the nation in scoring (45.5 points per game) and total offense (543.5 yards per game) last year – and the Thomas-Nabers connection became only the third pair of receivers in LSU history to each top the 1,000-yard mark in the same season. The other two pairs? Odell Beckham and Jarvis Landry (2013), and Ja’Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson (2019).

Trevor Lawrence just got a legit weapon to work with.

Thomas hails from ‘the pine tree capital of the world’

Cajun through and through, Brian Thomas was born and raised in Walker, Louisiana, a small city in Livingston Parish approximately 30 minutes east of Baton Rouge. Walker may only have a population of 6,138 (well, 6,137 now – welcome to Duval County, Brian!), but it’s growing – by approximately 28% in the last ten years.

Thomas stayed loyal to his roots and declared for LSU despite 15 other scholarship offers, including one from almost every SEC school. He kept the Tigers waiting, though, not even telling his own high school coach where he was committing to until his late announcement. A four-star recruit, Thomas was also a talented basketball star, but gave up his second love to focus on football – and boy did it pay off.

Walker is famous for pretty much nothing – its most famous residents are former Major League pitcher Mike DeJean and Louisiana Supreme Court associate justice Jefferson D. Hughes III. Well, until now – Thomas immediately puts his hometown on the map in that regard. Although the city does refer to itself as ‘the pine tree capital of the world’, for reasons I presume are obvious, I have no statistics to verify.

So there you go. Nobody said these things to know would be of value.

Thomas’ athletic profile is eerily similar to a former Jaguar

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Cast your minds back to the last time the Jaguars went to Baton Rouge for a wide receiver. It was 2018, and David Caldwell was at the helm. Of course, Caldwell being Caldwell, he wasted the first-round pick on Florida DT Taven Bryan – but his second-round selection of DJ Chark was much more successful. Like Brian Thomas Jr., Chark is a product of the LSU Tigers receiver production line. But that’s not where the comparison between Thomas and the former Jaguar ends…

In terms of size and speed, the two receivers are remarkably alike. Don’t want to take my word for it? How about two of the best measuring tools in the draft process? Both Kent Lee Platte’s RAS (Relative Athletic Score) and Marcus Armstrong’s ‘MockDraftable’ have Chark and Thomas as Louisiana twins:

Chark’s Jaguars career was frustratingly hampered by injury, but his two healthiest years (2019, 2020) did see him record 1,714 yards and 13 touchdowns. Jags fans will be hoping Thomas delivers similar numbers, albeit a lot more consistently.