How Jaguars' WR Brian Thomas Jr. Can Become Elite

The Jacksonville Jaguars have one of the best up and coming wide receivers in the National Football League. Can the Jaguars' coaching staff help him become even better?

Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. (7) rushes for yards against New York Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner (1) during the first quarter Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024 at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union] | Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

After selecting him with the 24th pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, the Jacksonville Jaguars appear to have struck gold with rookie wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. The rookie wide receiver has continued to cement himself as one of the rising talents in the National Football League moving forward.

He has registered his first 1,000-yard receiving season in his first year in the National Football League. He did so without many receiving options to help take opposing defenses' attention off of him and with inconsistent quarterback play for most of the season.

Thomas has also had a stellar season, even though the Jaguars' running game has been stagnant for most of the second half of the season. Thomas has been undoubtedly the Jaguars' best and most consistent player for most of this season.

However, as most would agree, there is always something for players to learn in the National Football League, no matter how long they have been in the league. This is especially true for players who have only played one season.

“I think there’s still a little bit," Pederson said. "You haven’t seen him out of the backfield as much and different things. You see a guy like [Bengals WR] Ja’Marr Chase coming out of the backfield, or [Vikings WR] Justin Jefferson out of the backfield, guys like that. It just creates matchups. Takes double teams away.

"Then, just keep expanding the route tree, and there are certain things that we haven’t done with him yet that we can continue to work on and then still emphasize his strengths. There’s still room to really grow a little bit more in all that he does.”

Thomas has found success without having much help on the offensive side of the ball. He is clearly on track to become a household name, if he continues on the same trajectory he has been on.

Once the Jaguars get Lawrence back next season and fix their roster on both sides of the ball this offseason, it is entirely fair to expect Thomas to take even more steps forward. This offseason will be his first offseason as a professional, so more exciting things will come for Thomas next season.

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