Brian Thomas Jr. deserves higher spot than Jaguars' division foe in WR rankings

The Jacksonville Jaguars hit it out of the ball park when they took Brian Thomas Jr. in last year's draft. Right off the bat, the former LSU Tiger established himself as the team's best offensive weapon and one of the most dynamic deep threats in the NFL. But despite his impressive rookie season, he wasn't able to get a high spot in a recent receiver ranking.

Trevor Sikkema of Pro Football Focus recently ranked the top 32 teams in the NFL and included Thomas at No. 16, pointing out that he's immense progress in the second half of the 2024 season is just a small sample of bigger things to come.

"Thomas Jr. emerged as a true difference-maker in the second half of his rookie season, finishing with an 83.4 receiving grade and the 16th-highest WAR aming wide receiver at 0.46," Sikkema said. "His trajectory is clearly upward heading into 2025, especially with the Jaguars hinting at an expanded role from the slot."

Granted, No. 16 in the top 32 isn't necessarily bad, you could make the case that Thomas should've earned a higher spot. After all, he was the fourth receiver off the board in the 2024 draft but turned out to be the best of the bunch production-wise, registering 82 receptions for 1,282 yards with 10 touchdowns.

Surprisingly, his second-half surge happened while catching passes from Mac Jones and under Doug Pederson's unimaginative scheme. It's fair to assume that the Louisiana native will continue to make strides with Liam Coen at the helm and Trevor Lawrence behind center.

If Thomas does improve, he'll deserve a better place than Nico Collins in receiver rankings. The division foe ranked seventh, with Sikemma noting that he's posted elite receiving grades in back-to-back seasons.

Sure, Collins has tallied over 1,000 yards in consecutive seasons, but it took him a while to put it all together, having posted a combined 70 catches for 927 yards with three touchdowns in his first two seasons. Meanwhile, Thomas had an impact right away, and if he logs another 1,000-yard campaign, he should narrow down the gap considerably.

In case you were wondering, the rest of the top 15 looks solid. A.J. Brown took the top spot, and Justin Jefferson finished second. Ja'Marr Chase landed at No. 3 while Amon-Ra St. Brown got fourth place. Puka Nacua and Ceedee Lamb landed at No. 5 and 6, respectively, while Tyreek Hill popped up at No. 8.

Other receivers that were ranked ahead of Thomas include Mike Evans (9th), Terry McLaurin (10th), Drake London (11th), Malik Nabers (12), Garrett Wilson (13th), and Tee Higgins (14th).

Why Jaguars WR Brian Thomas Jr. may be the best WR in the AFC South

The Jacksonville Jaguars were strongly considering moving up in the top 10 to select either Rome Odunze or Malik Nabers but ultimately opted against it and instead traded down. Looking back, it was the right call, as Brian Thomas Jr. is a building block, one they'll need if they want to steer the ship in the right direction.

And with Dyami Brown and Travis Hunter drawing coverage away, Thomas will find more favorable matchups, which will, in turn, help him increase his production. It's also worth noting that Thomas is flying a bit under the radar because the Jags are coming off an underwhelming season, but if they start racking up wins in 2025, he'll be mentioned in the same breath as Justin Jefferson or Ja'Marr Chase more often.

The bottom line is that Brian Thomas Jr. in a great position to take off next season, and if he does, it will make it impossible to leave him out of the top 10 in receiver rankings.

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