Brian Thomas Jr. on pace to achieve a feat no Jaguars rookie WR has ever pulled off

It feels like an eternity since the Jaguars possessed a marquee wide receiver capable of stretching the field and consistently making big plays.

After five weeks in the NFL season, there’s more than enough evidence to suggest that Duval County has a superstar in the making named Brian Thomas.

Brian Thomas’ achievements this season

When you come from LSU, you’re likely to have high expectations on your shoulders. And far, Brian Thomas has met and shattered all of those expectations.

Thomas has caught 22 of his 34 targets for 397 yards and three touchdowns, which is good for sixth among NFL receivers this season.

His breakaway speed has been evident since the start of the regular season, with the 22-year-old averaging 18.0 yards per catch in 2024.

That’s a higher average than many established veterans like Ja’Marr Chase, Justin Jefferson, DK Metcalf, Chris Godwin and CeeDee Lamb, to name a few.

Of the current top-10 NFL receivers statistically this season, only the Green Bay Packers’ Jayden Reed has a better yards-per-catch average (19.7) than Thomas.

Who are some of the best rookie receivers in Jaguars history?

Over the years, Jaguar rookies have not exactly lit up the league through the air in their debut campaigns.

Per Statmuse, Thomas is already among the top rookie receivers this franchise has ever known, and he has not even played half a season in the NFL.

That’s a great indicator of just how poor the Jaguars have been in the pass-catching department and how special Thomas really is.

A dozen years ago, bad boy Justin Blackmon had 865 yards receiving for the Jaguars in 2012, which is still the most for a Jacksonville rookie. Keelan Cole, a big part of the club’s AFC South-winning season in 2017, is second on that list with 748 yards that year, while Allen Hurns had 677 two years before that.

The top five is rounded out by Laviska Shenault, who had 600 receiving yards in his opening season as a pro (2020), and Willie Jackson, who had 589 yards through the air in the club’s debut season (1995).

Expectations for Brian Thomas Jr. in 2024

Thomas has been a smashing success early on, and he’s shaping up to have a banner season like the Jags have never seen before.

If he can maintain his current receiving yards-per-game average (79.4), Thomas will do something no Jags rookie has ever done before: finish with 1,000 yards.

There are 12 games remaining this season and at his current rate, he’s projected to add another 952.8 yards through the air.

If that holds true, he’d have nearly 1,350 yards receiving, close to 500 more (484.8) than Blackmon’s franchise rookie record.

Why Thomas is the best rookie in club history?

While it’s not like he’s competing with elite names from the past, Thomas overall is already better than any rookie receiver the franchise has ever produced.

His 18-yard average per grab already exceeds all Jag rookies at his position, while his 79.4 receiving yards-per-game average is well ahead of any Jags rookie before, with the next-best being Allen Robinson in 2014 (54.8).

Unlike Jags’ rookie receivers from the past though, Thomas is the go-to guy for Trevor Lawrence through the air.

No other Jags’ receiver can say that except perhaps Blackmon in 2012, but even his contributions weren’t all that noticeable on a team that won just three games that season. It's also worth noting that Thomas has already outperformed several proven veterans with a strong resume of consistent play from the past, such as Christian Kirk and Gabe Davis.

With three touchdowns through the air, Thomas leads the team in that department, and he has half as many receiving scores as Allen Hurns (six), who currently holds the Jags receiving touchdown record.

It’s only a sample size, but it’s not far-fetched to suggest that Thomas is already the greatest rookie receiver in franchise history.