After the Jaguars lost Calvin Ridley in free agency, the team drafted another potential top option in Brian Thomas Jr.
Thomas, 21, excelled at LSU, catching 68 passes for 1,177 yards with 17 touchdowns in 2023.
On Tuesday, Jacksonville offensive coordinator Press Taylor noted the positive impression Thomas has made since joining the team’s offseason program.
“Brian has done a great job. Brian is what we expected,” Taylor said in his press conference. “He is long, fast, and smart. So those things have shown up early on of getting him involved. He spent a lot of the meeting time with [receivers coach] Chad [Hall] and being around Christian [Kirk], Gabe [Davis], who not necessarily knows our system, but knows the NFL and what things are going to look like. I think it’s been really good for him.
“You see, obviously, the intelligence in the quick twitch, in the long speed show up throughout our practices as we go through things, or even routes on air. He grows every single day. He is a guy that’s very easy to communicate with because he’s intelligent. Football comes naturally to him. Learning, picturing concepts, understanding routes, how we’re attacking certain coverages. So, you see his growth every day, which is fun to see.”
With Ridley moving on and the Jaguars releasing Zay Jones, Thomas and Davis are set to join Kirk as Jacksonville’s top three wideouts. We’ll see if Thomas — a second-team All-SEC honoree in 2023 — can make an immediate impact catching passes from quarterback Trevor Lawrence.