Brian Thomas

Thomas was a late-rising prospect, with his stock largely driven by a 1,177-yard, 17-TD junior season and them a standout performance at the 2024 Scouting Combine. He had only 720 yards and seven touchdowns over his previous two seasons at LSU, even though he made nine starts as a true freshman after coming in as a four-star recruit. Being part of the same class as mega prospect Malik Nabers was one factor in Thomas' lack of volume prior to 2023, though the other guys they competed with for WR snaps/targets were mostly late-round picks (Trey Palmer, Kayshon Boutte) or non-prospects (Jaray Jenkins, Jack Bech) and Heisman-winning quarterback Jayden Daniels helped everyone in 2022-23. Even the 17-TD season saw Thomas sitting 41 targets and 392 yards shy of Nabers, with a 21.8 percent target share (compared to Nabers' 31.9). While the on-field production thus raises questions about his ability to command targets, Thomas went 23rd overall to Jacksonville after running a 4.33 40-yard dash at 6-3, 209. He also did reasonably well in his other combine drills with a 38.5-inch vertical and 126-inch broad jump, and he's slightly on the young side for a rookie (turning 22 in November). It is possible that Thomas ends up more useful to the Jaguars than fantasy managers, as he and Gabe Davis could spend a lot of time clearing out safeties for WR Christian Kirk, TE Evan Engram and RB Travis Etienne. On the other hand, Thomas has the physical traits one looks for in a true No. 1 WR, giving him a much better best-case scenario than players like Kirk and Davis. Read Past Outlooks