Jaguars' Rookie Sensation Thomas Is Inching Closer to Greatness
The Jacksonville Jaguars don't have much left to paly for in the 2024 season.
The playoffs are already out of reach, and even Sunday's win over the Tennessee Titans only improved the Jaguars to 3-10.
With that said, the Jaguars do have some bright spots in 2024. Among the brightest spots are wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. and defensive end Josh Hines-Allen.
Hines-Allen has already established himself as a blue-chipper, and he is now just a few sacks away from the Jaguars' franchise sack record. As for Thomas, he is within spitting distance of owning all three of the Jaguars' major rookie receiving records.
“Yeah, I mean, obviously the sacks, that's just Josh being Josh and getting the sack. I can't tell the opponent to let him, hey, he's close, let him get a sack. He can't do that," Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson said on Monday.
"But then Brian, we can control that one, the amount of targets and obviously the catches that he gets. So yeah, with the way our season's been, I mean, those are a couple bright spots to look at and really give those guys credit for what they've done.”
It is Thomas who is transcending into a blue-chip player in front of our eyes each week. The No. 23 pick in this year's draft, Thomas is arguably the biggest reason the Jaguars scored 10 points in Sunday's win over the Titans.
Sunday marked Thomas Jr.’s third- consecutive game with 75-plus receiving yards, currently tied for the longest active streak in the NFL. His seven games with over 75 receiving yards this season are tied for second-most in the NFL.
It is because of Thomas' consistency and game-changing ability that he is set to break some of the team's top records in the matter of just a few weeks.
Among all rookies in franchise history, Thomas ranks:
- No. 3 in receptions (54) and 10 catches away from tying Justin Blackmon's record.
- No. 2 in receiving yards (851) and 14 yards away from tying Blackmon's record.
- Tied for No. 1 in receiving touchdowns (6) with Allen Hurns.
- No. 1 in yards per game (65.5)
Simply put, Thomas has been on another level.
“Definitely one of the most polished rookies I’ve ever been around. Very locked in and focused. Very mature to be a rookie in this league, especially at receiver," Jaguars tight end Evan Engram said on Monday.
"Sky’s the limit for him. He’s a playmaker for us. He has great releases; he runs great routes. He has a lot of really small, really good details about his game. I like to say, ‘polished,’ for a rookie is the perfect word. We’ve seen how explosive he can be. I think he’s the fastest ball carrier this year. The list can go on. The future’s bright for him. He’s rolling right now. We’ve got to continue to get him the ball. He was a big part of our success in the second half as well yesterday.”
Thomas is quickly approaching the best rookie season a Jaguars receiver has ever had. And the good news for the Jaguars is that it appears he is just getting started.
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