2024 Jaguars Rookie Review: Brian Thomas Jr. Is One of the Best Picks in the Draft

Heading into last season, the Jacksonville Jaguars needed a playmaker at wide receiver. Tight end Evan Engram and WR Christian Kirk were all that Trevor Lawrence had at the time and adding a young, high ceiling target to the roster would expand the team’s potential window of a Super Bowl appearance.

General manager Trent Baalke would go on to trade back in the first round with the Minnesota Vikings before acquiring the player they believed could be the future superstar on the perimeter. LSU’s Brian Thomas Jr. was an explosive player whose 4.33 second 40-yard dash put him on the map as a firm Top 32 selection.

However, there were concerns surrounding Thomas, especially as a route runner and his ability to win consistently at the line of scrimmage. There was likely to be a transition period…or so we thought.

Below is every target from Thomas’ sensational rookie season. While Shad Khan’s “greatest Jaguars team assemble” never materialized, the former LSU All-American did, catching 87 passes for 1,282 yards and 10 touchdowns, all shattering rookie franchise records. This not only exceeded expectations, it shattered them and turned Thomas into one of the best young playmakers in the NFL.

Brian Thomas Jr. Targets (2024)

Full season cut-ups

Cut by game on our Hudl film library (see replies) pic.twitter.com/lL1uTWH3uL
— Mike Vannucci (@WRCoachVannucci) January 22, 2025

Thomas progressed much quicker than anyone imagined and it displays a player who is not only coachable but a hard worker who fine-tunes his craft to be the best player on the field. His improvement with release packages at the line of scrimmage made him a smooth and efficient operator before the catch.

Check out the rep below with how he sets up the break inside on the dig while accelerating to separate. This is one of the things Thomas does best and he did it against opposing defenses all season to the point where he was, at times, simply unguardable.

Brian Thomas Jr. is just so damn smooth. Clean break inside on the inside dig and the acceleration to separate. pic.twitter.com/rxtkNIrH9u
— Jared Feinberg (@JRodNFLDraft) December 16, 2024

Thomas developed into a do-it-all receiver for Jacksonville. He can win against all three levels of an opposing defense; he wins at the catch point in contested situations; understands how to expose defenders' leverage in coverage and exploit that for green grass and run-after-catch opportunities; and furthermore, he is one of the most reliable vertical threats in the NFL going into just his second year in the NFL.

Playoff football is cool and all but I really miss Brian Thomas Jr. pic.twitter.com/ZMIu1PDyzw
— Jacob Gibbs (@jagibbs_23) January 17, 2025

As with any rookie, Thomas has room for improvement and he could absolutely get better against more physical press defenders who can disrupt timing and rhythm at the line of scrimmage.

What the Jaguars receiver did in his rookie campaign despite how bad the situation was around him shows he can be a playmaker whoever is under center and hopefully, Trevor Lawrence can turn the heat up and increase Thomas’ Year 2 production. Baalke’s final first round selection as the team’s general manager has turned into a likely success as Thomas looks to etch his name among the top WR’s in the league.

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