The Jacksonville Jaguars’ Brian Thomas Jr. didn’t quite make the top 10 in ESPN’s wide receiver rankings, but he was among the honorable mentions.
With insights from NFL executives, coaches, and scouts, Jeremy Fowler has been compiling his ranking of the top 10 players at each position group.
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Outside of the top 10 list, Thomas was one of six additional wideouts to be named an honorable mention. The New York Giants‘ Malik Nabers, who came in at No. 7 in these rankings, was the only other second-year wideout to be in the top 10 or among the honorable mentions.
Production-wise, Thomas was a top-10 wide receiver as a rookie. During the regular season, he finished third in receiving yards with 1,282, he was tied for fifth in touchdowns, and was fourth in YAC.
By yards per route run, an efficiency metric from PFF, Thomas ranked sixth among all receivers in that category.
Adding to the already impressive numbers that Thomas put up as a rookie was that, without Trevor Lawrence for games last season, there was unsteady quarterback play, not to mention that defenses knew the ball was going to Thomas. However, opponents still struggled to contain him.
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Under Liam Coen in Thomas’ second season, we are going to see his role expand, from where he’s asked to line up to the routes he’s asked to run. This can then make Thomas even more difficult to defend with there being a greater variety of ways that he can attack defenses.
“He’s got those freakish talents, man,” Coen said of Thomas during offseason programs. “He’s got some freakish traits. Just his attention to detail in the meeting room setting.”
Coen added, “The ability for a big dude like him to be able to operate in the slot, run some of the choice and option routes, but also be able to go vertical and catch the ball downfield, he’s been a real pleasure to work with.”
This article originally appeared on Jaguars Wire: Jaguars’ Brian Thomas just outside of latest WR rankings by NFL execs