Tag: Brian Thomas

Jaguars WR Brian Thomas Jr. finishes 4th in Offensive Rookie of the Year voting

Jaguars’ rookie WR Brian Thomas Jr. finished fourth in the Offensive Rookie of the Year award voting.

Jacksonville Jaguars’ wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. finished fourth in the AP’s Offensive Rookie of the Year voting.

Thomas was one of 10 rookies on the offensive side of the ball who received votes.

He finished behind Broncos quarterback Bo Nix, Raiders tight end Brock Bowers, and as expected, Washington quarterback Jayden Daniels ran away with the victory.

Below is a breakdown of the voting:

Thomas put together a highly impressive first season. He was a focal point of the Jaguars’ offense with 129 targets and reliable as well, catching 67% of the passes his way.

He totaled 1,282 receiving yards–the third-most among receivers behind only Ja’Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson–and he averaged 14.7 yards per catch and had 10 touchdowns.

Among the rookie class, which was loaded at the receiver position, Thomas totaled the most yards, touchdowns, and was first yards per route run.

With Thomas’ speed and route running ability, he can impact the game at all levels of the field. Adding to Thomas’ impressive production was that defenses knew the ball was going his direction and still struggled to slow him down.

Jaguars WR Brian Thomas among fastest ball carriers in 2024

According to NFL Next Gen Stats, Jaguars WR Brian Thomas recorded one of the fastest times as a ball carrier this season.

Jacksonville Jaguars’ rookie wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. was among the fastest ball carriers in football this season.

According to NFL Next Gen Stats, on Thomas’ Week 5 touchdown catch and run against the Indianapolis Colts down the right sideline, Thomas hit 22.15 mph.

Compared to all ball carriers during the 2024 NFL season, whether it be on the ground or via a passing play, Thomas’ 22.15 mph was the second-fastest mark in football.

Below is the play where Thomas recorded that speed:

Just ahead of Thomas was Dallas’ KaVontae Turpin, who topped out at 22.36 mph.

Overall, Thomas wasn’t only a top producer among rookies, but he was one of the most productive receivers in all of football.

Thomas finished his rookie season as a featured member of the Jaguars’ offense, totaling 129 targets. He would catch 67% of those throws and averaged 14.7 yards per catch with 10 touchdowns.

The 1,282 receiving yards that Thomas had were the fourth-most among all receivers and the most among a rookie class that was loaded at the receiver position.

That speed that Thomas possesses makes him a threat at all levels of the field. He can run by defenders and provide the Jaguars’ offense with a vertical target or he can get the ball on short to intermediate routes and turn them into big plays with his yards after the catch ability.

LSU football losing offensive assistant staffer to AAC school

LSU football is losing an assistant offensive staffer to an AAC school

A member of the LSU football coaching staff is moving on to another role.

Charlotte announced Wednesday that it hired former Tigers offensive analyst Paul Turner as the wide receivers coach and passing game coordinator. The move comes following a two-year tenure in Baton Rouge.

Turner follows Todd Fitch, who took the OC job at Charlotte after working as an analyst at LSU in 2024.

Turner played two seasons at LSU before transferring to Louisiana Tech. Through two years with the Bulldogs, he caught 87 passes for 1,171 yards and two touchdowns. Before getting into coaching, Turner played in the NFL with the Philadelphia Eagles, New Orleans Saints, and New England Patriots.

The Monroe, LA native joined the Louisiana Tech staff as a defensive graduate assistant in 2020. Turner became a defensive analyst in 2021 and a safeties coach in 2022.

In his time with the Tigers, Turner worked with NFL standouts [autotag]Malik Nabers[/autotag] and [autotag]Brian Thomas[/autotag]. Combined with Heisman-winning quarterback [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag], LSU’s offense led the country in scoring with 45.5 points and 120 receiving yards per game.

Turner is the third analyst to leave LSU this offseason. Joining Fitch as well as Eddie Hicks, who took a job with Cincinnati.

2024 NFL season shows how valuable Cortez Hankton is to LSU

Performances in the NFL are proving the value of LSU wide receivers coach Cortez Hankton

For the first time in NFL history, four rookies totaled over 1,000 receiving yards. Three out of four were coached by LSU’s [autotag]Cortez Hankton.[/autotag]

The Tigers’ co-offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach, Hankton mentored [autotag]Malik Nabers[/autotag] (1,140) and [autotag]Brian Thomas[/autotag] (1,179) during their years in Baton Rouge. He also worked with Ladd McConkey (1,054) while they both were at Georgia.

The Baton Rouge, LA native joined the staff for his hometown team in 2022. In his second year, Nabers and Thomas combined for 2,746 and 31 touchdowns, making them the top receiving duo in the country. Nabers led all receivers in three categories during 2023 — receiving yards per game (120.7), plays of 20-plus (34) and 30-plus (17) yards. Thomas led the nation with 17 receiving touchdowns in a breakout 2023 season

Their standout performances lead to both being selected in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft. Nabers was the No. 6 pick to the New York Giants and Thomas was selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars with pick No. 23. Both helped the Tigers offense lead the nation in scoring (45.5) and top the 500-yard mark nine times.

Hankton also spent four years in Athens, GA and was a part of the Bulldogs’ 2022 National Championship team. McConkey played under him for three seasons, totaling 1,687 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns.

Having just finished his third season with the Tigers, Hankton will continue having a large impact in the day-to-day planning of the offense as well as on the recruiting trail. Kyren Lacy just departed for the NFL Draft and the Tigers brought in Nic Anderson and Barion Brown from the transfer portal as they look to reload at the position.

Who is your 1st round pick for the Steelers?

Cast your vote for who you want the Steelers to pick in the first round of the 2024 NFL draft.

In just three weeks, the 2024 NFL draft will happen and the fortunes of all 32 NFL teams will be set in motion. For the Pittsburgh Steelers, there are still multiple positions of need and the front office, led by General Manager Omar Khan, should have their pick of top prospects for all the teams biggest positions of need.

Based on most mock drafts out there are well as who the Steelers seem to be paying attention to, we’ve narrowed the choices down to five for the No. 20 overall pick.

Who is your 1st round pick for the Steelers?
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The Steelers must add a center, center and cornerback early in the draft. Offensive tackle would be a luxury if it means Broderick Jones can move to the left side but getting a starter at one of the other spots are the most pressing needs.

Cast your vote and tell us of the five guys we’ve given you, who is your first-round pick as of right now?

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2024 NFL draft: Chargers GM Joe Hortiz attends LSU pro day

The Chargers were in Baton Rouge, LA on Wednesday.

The Chargers were in Baton Rouge, LA on Wednesday, where they were in attendance for LSU’s pro day.

General manager Joe Hortiz and wide receivers coach Sanjay Lal represented Los Angeles.

The Tigers had a slew of prospects on display, with quarterback Jayden Daniels headlining the pack. However, the Bolts most likely had their eyes set on WRs Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas.

Nabers has been commonly linked to the Chargers at No. 5 overall since the start of the pre-draft process. He is a home-run threat each time he touches the ball, and that type of player would be a welcomed addition to the wide receiver room.

After an 89-catch, 1,569-yard, 14-touchdown season, Nabers followed it up with an incredible pro day, posting a 42-inch vertical and 4.35 40-yard dash time.

If Los Angeles were to trade down and stockpile more picks, Thomas could be a target for them later in the first round. At 6-foot-3 and 209 pounds, he has good size for the position but also possesses great speed and burst to be a threat vertically and in the open field.

Bears could be planning to load up at wide receiver this offseason

NFL insider Adam Caplan believes the Bears will add at least two wide receivers this offseason to bolster the position group.

Free agency is just a few days away, and the Chicago Bears should be one of the more active teams when it comes to improving their roster, specifically at the wide receiver position. The Bears only have three receivers under contract who played meaningful snaps (DJ Moore, Tyler Scott, and Velus Jones Jr.), and just one of them (Moore) made a significant impact during the 2023 season. Adding players to the position during both free agency and the draft should be a priority, and it sounds like that could be the plan.

Adam Caplan of Pro Football Network recently released a mock draft following the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine, where Chicago selected quarterback Caleb Williams at No. 1 and wide receiver Rome Odunze at No. 9. Neither pick is surprising at this stage, and mock drafts aren’t the end all, be all, but it’s what Caplan said about the Odunze pick that should have fans excited about the Bears’ strategy.

“We’re told that the Bears are planning to add at least two wide receivers this offseason, and this area is around where Odunze — who our sources say isn’t too far behind Harrison in grades from around the NFL — could be selected.

During our talks with NFL sources at the Combine, there was a growing sense that fourth-year WR Darnell Mooney would be playing elsewhere this coming season, which would leave the door open for adding Odunze here.”

From what Caplan is gathering, the Bears will be looking to add multiple wide receivers this offseason, which could come from free agency, the draft, or both. Given the Bears still have around $44 million in cap space following the Jaylon Johnson franchise tag, they can afford one of the better free agent wide receivers on the market. Someone like Curtis Samuel, Tyler Boyd, or DJ Chark could be added as a solid WR3 while the Bears draft a star prospect like Odunze or Malik Nabers in hopes of them becoming an impact player opposite Moore. They could also find a way to trade down and target one of the players in the tier below, such as Brian Thomas Jr., Adonai Mitchell, Keon Coleman, or Troy Franklin.

There are a few different avenues general manager Ryan Poles can take, but it seems all the roads will wind up ending with the Bears revamping their wide receiver room. Adding more playmakers to a team that most likely will have a rookie quarterback under center next season isn’t a bad plan.

Multiple Longhorns among prospects Cowboys interviewed who combine shined on Day 3

Check out @Larimore_Ben’s film evaluation thoughts on several of the skill position prospects who shined at the combine on Saturday, including Xavier Worthy and Trey Benson.

Day 3 of the NFL Scouting Combine workouts have come and gone. Saturday’s itinerary involved offensive skill positions; quarterbacks, running backs and wide receivers. The jersey sellers showed up and showed out in a big way, including one record breaking performance.

The Dallas Cowboys have now concluded their interviews of  prospects, which they have done in formal and informal capacities. Here’s a continuously updated tracker of who the Cowboys are meeting with.

Formal interviews conducted by the Cowboys aligned with just two prospects that participated in workouts on Day 2, but Day 3 offered more looks on that front with a number of stellar performances.

Formal and informal interview count for prospects included in Day 3 position groups:

QB (formal/informal) 0 interviews conducted
RB (formal) 5/5 worked out
RB (informal) 6/7 worked out
WR (formal) 7/7 worked out
WR (informal) 2/2 worked out

Who were the best performers on the list? Let’s dig in.

2024 NFL Draft: Brian Thomas Jr. scouting report

Brian Thomas is one of the best deep threats in the 2024 NFL draft.

The other piece of college football’s most explosive playmaking duo, LSU wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. will look to establish himself as a No. 1 receiver as he enters the 2024 NFL Draft.

Here is everything you need to know about the Tigers’ athletic marvel:

Steelers NFL Combine meetings hint at potential plans to draft first-round WR

The Steelers have met with a handful of receivers at the NFL Scouting Combine, including two first-round hopefuls.

When you look at immediate needs for the Pittsburgh Steelers in next month’s NFL draft, wide receiver isn’t exactly a position that stands out. Offensive line and cornerback, sure — but receiver?

The Steelers love them some receivers and have met with a handful at the NFL Scouting Combine, but two stand out: According to Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Christopher Carter, the Steelers had a formal meeting with first-round hopeful Brian Thomas Jr. out of LSU. Another receiver projected to go in the first, Oregon’s Troy Franklin, also met with the team.

The last receiver taken with Pittsburgh’s first pick? With their first-round pick belonging to the Miami Dolphins in the Minkah Fitzpatrick trade, they took Chase Claypool at No. 49. Santonio Holmes was their last true first-round receiver selection in 2006.

When it comes down to it, the Steelers are probably just doing their due diligence and nothing more. They don’t typically start rookie wide receivers in their first year, so taking one at No. 20 doesn’t make sense. That is unless the team has plans to trade Diontae Johnson in the offseason.

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