2024 NFL Draft: LSU's Brian Thomas Is Most Popular Jaguars Mock Pick Following Super Bowl
There is a new king in Jacksonville mock drafts.
Entering the month of February, the player most commonly linked to the Jaguars in mock drafts was Illinois defensive tackler Jer'Zhan Newton.
That has changed in the days following Super Bowl LVIII, however, with a new player now settling in at No. 1 according to NFL Mock Draft Database: LSU wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr.
Thomas Jr., who has received 9.7% of mock draft selections, is followed by Clemson cornerback Nate Wiggins (7.8%) and Iowa cornerback Cooper DeJean (6.5%). Surprisingly, Oregon center Jackson Powers-Johnson is not in the top-3.
Whether the Jaguars invest early in a wide receiver likely depends on what happens with Calvin Ridley. Ridley is set to be a free-agent, but the Jaguars have expressed a clear desire to retain the 1,000-yard receiver.
"Calvin did some awfully good things. I love Calvin Ridley. He’s all ball. You guys and gals that were able to see it at practice, he loves to practice, he loves to play, he loves the game," Jaguars general manager Trent Baalke said last month.
"When you bring somebody in that hasn’t been a part of football for over a year and a half, you’ve got to knock the rust off. He did that and at times, he showed exactly who he was, who he can be. The sky is the limit, he’s only going to get better because of the way he works. When you love something as much as he loves football, you can’t help but get better. We would love to have Calvin back and we’re going to work toward that. What that means, I don’t know right now.”
There also has to be consideration for Baalke's history at the position. In nine drafts led by Baalke with the Jaguars and the San Francisco 49ers, Baalke's teams have drafted just one wide receiver in the first three rounds: A.J. Jenkins at No. 30 overall in 2012.
In three drafts with the Jaguars, Baalke and the Jaguars have selected two receivers: sixth-rounder Jalen Camp in 2021 and sixth-rounder Parker Washington in 2023.
Thomas caught 68 passes for 1,177 yards (17.3 average) and 17 touchdowns for LSU in 2023. In 2022, Thomas caught 31 passes for 361 yards and five touchdowns. In 2021, he caught 28 passes for 359 yards and two touchdowns.
