Welcome to the NFL, Brian Thomas Jr.
Thomas, the Jaguars’ No. 23 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft, got his pro career off to a hot start Sunday by making a highlight touchdown grab in the second quarter of Jacksonville’s season-opener at Miami.
Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence pitched a perfect pass to Thomas in the back-left area of the end zone, where Thomas, who sneaked behind Dolphins defenders while running a crossing route, made a toe-tapping catch in stride.
Brian Thomas Jr.’s first NFL touchdown catch. Made it look easy. Same route as the huge-gainer against Atlanta in the preseason. pic.twitter.com/fXBnTu2zFs
— Zach Goodall (@zach_goodall) September 8, 2024
Thomas’ first-career score gave Jacksonville a 14-0 lead with 6:21 left until halftime. At press time, Thomas had caught three passes for 29 yards and the touchdown.
Jaguars offensive coordinator Press Taylor commended Thomas this week for the growth he displayed during his first training camp and preseason with Jacksonville, noting the 38-yard catch-and-run the rookie had on a similar crosser against Atlanta in the preseason as an embodiment of his progress and increased confidence.
“I think even going back to the Atlanta preseason game, he caught the crosser. If you just watch the tape, he’s open, he gets out, he runs it a certain way,” Taylor recalled on Thursday.
“We spent a lot of time as a group just detailing that specific route, and what it looks like and all the different looks for it. So then to see the way he ran it, dove inside, got vertical, stuck his foot, separated, that was exactly what we talked about. So just to see him grow on the little details, the little nuances of one simple little route to where it carried over to game.”