Jaguars' Brian Thomas Jr. Lands Ridiculous Take

Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. has landed a ridiculous take in an NFL redraft.

Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. (7) rushes for yards during the second quarter of an NFL football matchup Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024 at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. The Jaguars held off the Titans 20-13. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union] | Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Jacksonville Jaguars traded down in the NFL Draft last season and ended up landing LSU wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. with the 23rd overall pick.

It proved to be a great decision by the Jaguars, as Thomas instantly established himself as one of the best receivers in football.

The 22-year-old played in every game this past season, hauling in 87 receptions for 1,282 yards and seven touchdowns en route to a Pro Bowl appearance.

Really, only Malik Nabers had an argument for being better than Thomas as far as rookie wide receivers were concerned in 2024.

So you would think that Thomas would go considerably higher in any redraft, right?

Well, not according to ESPN.

The major outlet posted a two-round redraft recently, and it had Jacksonville once again landing Thomas. To be fair, this time, the Jaguars didn't move down and simply chose Thomas at No. 17, but it still seems awfully low for the star pass-catcher.

"Receiver was the Jaguars' Round 1 priority after they lost Calvin Ridley in free agency, and in this scenario they could still get the player who set franchise rookie records in yards (1,282), catches (87) and touchdowns (10) this season," ESPN's Michael DiRocco wrote. "Thomas, whom Jacksonville was able to land trading down, led all rookie pass-catchers in yards and touchdowns, finishing third in the NFL in receiving yards, behind Ja'Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson."

Here's the funny thing: ESPN still had four wide receivers ahead of Thomas: Marvin Harrison Jr., Nabers, Rome Odunze and Ladd McConkey.

Again, the logic behind Nabers is understandable, but what is the reasoning for placing Harrison—who was actually a pretty big disappointment in Year 1—and Odunze ahead of Thomas? McConkey was definitely really good this past season, but better than Thomas? No.

A legitimate argument can be made that Thomas is actually the best wide receiver of his draft class. Yes, it's still early, and this is all subject to change. But it seems pretty clear at this point that Thomas should have been one of the first two wide outs off the board.

We'll see what Thomas does for an encore in 2025.

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