Jaguars' Brian Thomas Jr. Continues Earning Immense Recognition

Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. continues to land massive recognition for his brilliant NFL rookie season.

Dec 29, 2024; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr (7) celebrates the first down against the the Tennessee Titans in the second quarter at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Reper-Imagn Images | Jeremy Reper-Imagn Images

Jacksonville Jaguars star Brian Thomas Jr. may already be among the best wide receivers in football after a fantastic rookie campaign.

The former first-round pick hauled in 87 receptions for 1,287 yards and 10 touchdowns this season, and while he didn't make the Pro Bowl, he has been landing recognition everywhere else.

Most recently, Thomas was named to Ben Solak's ESPN All-Rookie team.

"The player who long felt like the addendum to the big three of the 2024 rookie wide receiver class is no longer -- Thomas has been better than Marvin Harrison Jr., Malik Nabers and Rome Odunze," Solak wrote. "Long, ridiculously fast and excellent at tracking the football through contact, Thomas is a walking big play, coming either on a deep target or with a huge run after the catch."

What makes Thomas' spectacular 2024 effort all the more impressive is that Trevor Lawrence played in just 10 games this season, meaning he was able to post big numbers even with Mac Jones under center for much of the time.

Plus, Thomas didn't exactly have a whole lot of help, as Christian Kirk and Gabe Davis went down with season-ending injuries.

Defenses attempted to key on Thomas, but it didn't matter; the LSU product got his numbers anyway.

"Thomas ended the season with 2.61 yards per route run on a lame-duck offense splitting time between Trevor Lawrence and Mac Jones at quarterback," continued Solak. "Only five rookies have had better debut seasons: A.J. Brown, Justin Jefferson, Odell Beckham Jr., Puka Nacua and Ja'Marr Chase. That's pretty good company if you ask me."

The Jaguars selected Thomas with the 23rd overall pick of the NFL Draft last April. He enjoyed a brilliant final season at LSU, catching 68 passes for 1,177 yards and 17 scores, the latter of which led the country.

At 6-foot-3, 210 pounds with superb athleticism and incredible ball skills, Thomas seems poised to stamp his name among the best wide outs in football for years to come.

It would strongly behoove Jacksonville to put some other weapons alongside of him during the coming months, especially with Lawrence really needing a big season in 2025.

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