The date to declare for the 2024 NFL draft has come and gone, and we now know which players will be moving on to the professional ranks and which will be returning to college.
The Tigers had several players declare, including a trio of offensive players who are expected to be first-round picks. In Mel Kiper Jr.’s latest draft big board, [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag] and [autotag]Malik Nabers[/autotag] stay where they previously were at No. 4 and No. 6 overall, respectively.
But [autotag]Brian Thomas Jr.[/autotag] is on the rise. The wideout led the nation in touchdown receptions this season, and though he was once seen as a fringe first-round prospect, he’s now seen as a consensus top 15-20 prospect.
Kiper ranks him 11th overall, a rise from No. 17 in the previous rankings, and he’s also now the No. 5 receiver behind Nabers, jumping Florida State’s Keon Coleman.
Thomas is a fun player to watch, and he excelled catching passes from Daniels on the other side of Nabers. He has great length and a huge catch radius, which makes him a nightmare to match up with for smaller defensive backs. He can take the top off a defense — he averaged 17.3 yards per catch this season. I really like the way he uses his acceleration ability to get late separation. Thomas finished the season with 68 catches for 1,177 yards and led the FBS with 17 touchdowns. The arrow is pointing up; Thomas needs a little bit more polish, but he’s just scratching the surface of his talent.
Thomas was largely overshadowed during his LSU career, though he had significant production himself. He could be poised to take a big leap, however, as a top target at the next level.
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