There were seven wide receivers drafted in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, headlined by the Arizona Cardinals selecting Marvin Harrison Jr. This receiver class was thought of as having a bunch of studs at the position, all fighting for the spot of top receiver from the draft class.
So far, it’s been the Jacksonville Jaguars’ Brian Thomas Jr. The fourth receiver taken in the first round, Thomas was looked at as needing a bit more refinement before he became a dependable pro wide out, but his development has taken a fast track to superstardom. He’s ninth in the NFL in receiving yards with 956, one of only two rookies in the top-10 (Brock Bowers, TE, Raiders). He’s got eight receiving touchdowns, which leads all rookie receivers and has grown into the top target for the Jaguars. The scariest part is that Thomas is continuously getting better, adding more clubs to his golf bag to become a well-rounded receiver. The Jaguars have also gotten him much more involved as the season has gone on, which should terrify teams. Despite a loss to the Jets, Thomas Jr. went off for 10 catches, 105 yards and two touchdowns, so lets see how he did it and where he’s winning.
Something that’s stood out with the Brian Thomas Jr. usage lately is how much work he’s been getting in the slot. This could be due to not having WR Christian Kirk or TE Evan Engram, but Thomas Jr. is doing a surprising amount of work in the slot. He profiled more as an outside the numbers guy who would run a lot of fade routes and curls coming out of LSU, but the Jaguars finding ways to get him the ball from the slot is really fun. Why this is so fun is because Brian Thomas Jr. is absolutely shredding man coverage. His 90.9% first down rate against man coverage is 11th in the NFL among receivers with at least 15 targets against man, and both of his touchdowns came against man coverage from the slot.
The most impressive thing about Thomas Jr at this stage of his career is how he’s leveraging his speed. We all know he’s fast (4.34 40 at the NFL Combine), but how he’s using that speed and burst is so impressive. Add that on top of some really impressive route running and you got a stew cookin’! His second touchdown was so impressive in so many ways. Jacksonville motions TE Brenton Strange out wide, making Thomas the slot receiver. Because the Jets are in man coverage, Thomas in the slot has a two way go without any middle of the field help. Look at how he sets this route up by taking steps to the outside, then bursting back across the corner’s face. He gets on the corner’s heels and has him stumbling before breaking back on this slant and housing it. Really, really good play by a great player.
The screen game also stands out because Thomas Jr. is getting a lot of work after the catch, another growing aspect of his game. Using his speed to attack vertically is great, but how he truly becomes a threat is being able to get the ball in his hands quickly and letting him go to work. This is on the first drive, and it’s just easy offense. I like how quickly Thomas gets up the field and gets the most out of this screen pass. The Jaguars gotta keep finding ways to get him the ball.
Watch how quickly Thomas turns this dig into a 41-yard gain. You can see the moment Thomas Jr. hits the accelerator and leaves most of the Jets’ defense in the dust. Being fast is great, but now Thomas is doing more work after the catch, turning into a threat at all three levels of the field. Special player who is only getting better. The craziest part is that he’s just gliding down the field, blasting past defenders.
Thomas could’ve had an even bigger day with a better QB under center, flashing some impressive separation skills against a good Jets secondary. He should’ve had a third touchdown here, absolutely torching this DB on a fade route but the ball is inaccurate. You can see the stop-start burst off the line of scrimmage, and he completely avoids the hands of the cornerback.
Again, on a critical third down, Thomas is matched up against Sauce Gardner. You’ll notice again the Jaguars are getting him off the ball to get him away from press, and he’s able to get a free release. What I love about this route is how he sets it up. He runs it vertical like he’s going for a fade route, but then he snaps it back quickly. If the ball isn’t thrown poorly, Thomas might have another catch.
I don’t think it’s a hyperbole to say Thomas Jr. has been the most impressive rookie receiver this season. He’s way ahead of schedule in his development, and the Jaguars are finding ways to get him touches. He’s already shown a nice rapport with QB Trevor Lawrence (who is out for the season due to shoulder surgery), and has grown so much in the finer points of route running since entering the NFL. The future is sky high for this Jaguars’ receiver.
