Big Cat Country
Get to know the Jaguars’ new additions from draft weekend with our ‘3 things to know’ series.
With the 2024 NFL Draft in the books, it’s time to reflect on how the Jacksonville Jaguars fared. Did Trent Baalke deliver a masterclass, or has he just set the Jags back five years?
Truth is, we probably won’t know that for some time. But we can get to know the newest members of the team a little bit better. In the first of a mini-series of deep dives, here are three things to know about 17th overall pick Brian Thomas Jr.
Baalke does not have a good track record of drafting receivers, but in Brian Thomas Jr., he has every chance of breaking the mold - the former LSU Tiger was a bonafide STUD at the college level. A contributor as a true freshman, Thomas spent just three years in Baton Rouge, but quickly left his mark. In 38 games for the Tigers, he recorded 127 catches for 1,897 yards and 24 touchdowns.
Even more exciting for Jags fans is how it doesn’t seem like the receiver has even scratched the surface of his potential yet. After roughly 360 yards in each of Thomas’ two years, he EXPLODED in 2023, becoming both a vertical and redzone threat. In 13 games, he racked up 1,177 yards and 17 touchdowns, with an astonishing 17.3 yards per catch. Jacksonville would take those numbers for his rookie campaign in a heartbeat. These feats saw Thomas named an AP All-American, a second-team All-SEC and nominated as a semifinalist for the Biletnikoff Award - given to the best receiver in the nation.
An important part of the LSU offense, Thomas teamed with fellow pass catcher Malik Nabers to give their team the most productive wide receiver tandem in college football in 2023 - combining for 157 receptions, 2,746 yards and 31 TDs. The Tigers led the nation in scoring (45.5 points per game) and total offense (543.5 yards per game) last year - and the Thomas-Nabers connection became only the third pair of receivers in LSU history to each top the 1,000-yard mark in the same season. The other two pairs? Odell Beckham and Jarvis Landry (2013), and Ja’Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson (2019).
Trevor Lawrence just got a legit weapon to work with.
Cajun through and through, Brian Thomas was born and raised in Walker, Louisiana, a small city in Livingston Parish approximately 30 minutes east of Baton Rouge. Walker may only have a population of 6,138 (well, 6,137 now - welcome to Duval County, Brian!), but it’s growing - by approximately 28% in the last ten years.
Thomas stayed loyal to his roots and declared for LSU despite 15 other scholarship offers, including one from almost every SEC school. He kept the Tigers waiting, though, not even telling his own high school coach where he...
