When Jaguars' Trevor Lawrence Knew Brian Thomas Jr. Would Be a Star

What did Trevor Lawrence have to say about the Jacksonville Jaguars' No. 1 receiver?

Oct 27, 2024; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) and wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. (7) celebrate a touchdown against the Green Bay Packers during the third quarter at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Morgan Tencza-Imagn Images / Morgan Tencza-Imagn Images

Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence knows he has a special and rare talent in No. 1 wide receiver Brian Thomas. And he has known it for some time.

"So our first practice together in OTAs, he made some crazy plays. I threw a fade, and he just snagged it with one hand, just casual, like ball skills were ridiculous. I could see all that right away," Lawrence told 'Up and Adams' this week.

"And he's so fast, and just it doesn't look like he's running hard. He's one of the smoothest guys I've seen, definitely played with."

Thomas went on to shatter everyone of the Jaguars' rookie receiving records on his way to a Pro Bowl season as a rookie. The No. 23 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft out-produced every other receiver taken, including LSU teammate Malik Nabers.

Thomas was able to build his confidence and competitive edge throughout his rookie season, picking up steam as the season went on and creating quite the dynamic duo with Lawrence -- even after a slower start in training camp.

"And then so that as OTAs and it seemed like the beginning of training camp, it kind of we got off to kind of a slow start. It was just for whatever reason, it seemed like the ball kind of just kept going everywhere else," Lawrence said. "And whereas we're kind of struggling to get him involved. And then when we did joint practices with Tampa here in camp, I mean, he just, he just blew everybody away. I mean, he was running down the field. We were throwing them bombs, like post, these divide routes, you know, everything over the top, he's just running past everybody. And I think that's when you saw a lot of his competitiveness pop and come out."

As Lawrence noted, Thomas completely terrorized the Buccaneers' defense in camp. Shortly after, he made a highlight catch against the Kansas City Chiefs to truly prove himself as a standout performer and a player to keep a close eye on moving forward.

"And then obviously, when we played the Chiefs in the preseason, he made a huge play on the sideline on a go route. We were all standing there. A lot of guys came out of the game, but he was getting a few more reps, and we were all standing there and watched him make this crazy catch on the sideline," Lawrence said.

"And he was getting hype and to see his competitiveness, because he's a more quiet guy, but to see him, you know, come alive and see that fire, I think was really cool to see."

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