Jaguars' Brian Thomas Jr. can join this elite group of receivers with great sophomore campaign

Trevor Lawrence has utmost confidence in Thomas

Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. had a fantastic rookie year. He finished 2024 with 87 catches for 1,282 yards and 10 scores, earning himself a Pro Bowl nod and a fourth-place finish in Offensive Rookie of the Year voting.

Thomas' quarterback, Trevor Lawrence, took notice of just how fantastic he was. 

"I think the talent has always been there," Lawrence said, via ProFootballTalk. "Now he has a full year under his belt. He's one of the top receivers in the league. My confidence in him after seeing him do his thing for a year now, when you get the one-on-one, you feel really confident about our guy. I have a lot of confidence in him."

Lawrence also came away from Year 1 impressed with Thomas' versatility.

"Just being able to watch him even though I wasn't playing -- watching his one-on-one reps, the stuff we were doing with him last year, the situations he was put in, how he was able to adapt, play the slot and move outside and really take advantage of every matchup. That also gave me a ton of confidence. This is a guy that you can move anywhere, you can do anything, and he is going to find a way to get the ball because he is just that good."

To Lawrence's point, Thomas excelled both in the slot and on the perimeter. According to Tru Media, Thomas ranked third in yards per route run (3.12) when aligned inside, among the 280 players leaguewide who ran at least 250 routes. He also checked in 23rd in yards per route (2.20) when aligned outside. The latter figure, while not quite as impressive as the former, still placed him in the top 15% among all pass-catchers. 

Overall, Thomas was sixth in the NFL in yards per route and eighth in explosive receptions (those gaining more than 15 yards), in addition to racking up the third-most total yards and sixth-most touchdowns in the league. And he did it despite playing nearly half the season without Lawrence under center.

With those receiving totals, Thomas became one of just 11 players ever with at least 1,000 receiving yards and double-digit receiving touchdowns during his rookie season -- and just the sixth player to reach those marks during the Super Bowl era. 

The only other players during that time to join him were John Jefferson in 1978, Randy Moss in 1998, Mike Evans and Odell Beckham Jr. in 2014 and Ja'Marr Chase in 2021. (Thomas was also one of just six players to top those figures last season regardless of experience, with only Chase, Evans, Justin Jefferson, Terry McLaurin and Amon-Ra St. Brown among those who did the same.) Amazingly, those players, on average, followed up their explosive rookie seasons with even more spectacular sophomore campaigns.

Player	Receptions	Rec Yards	Rec TD
John Jefferson	61	1090	10
Randy Moss	80	1413	11
Mike Evans	74	1206	3
Odell Beckham Jr.	96	1450	13
Ja'Marr Chase	87	1046	9
Year 2 Avg	80	1241	9
17-Game Avg	93	1445	11

Even if Thomas doesn't quite reach the lofty heights that group achieved during their respective second NFL seasons, he has shown that he has the ability to be a true No. 1 wideout in the NFL. His size, strength, speed and route running all stand out, and he has the potential to do some truly spectacular things. If the history of players who produce like him is any indication, it shouldn't be long before he solidifies himself as one of the league's very best, just as Lawrence expects.