At this point, there should be no doubt that the Jacksonville Jaguars hit it out of the ballpark when they drafted wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. with the 23rd overall pick earlier this year. The rookie out of LSU has broken several team records and is on pace to something only Hall of Famer Randy Moss was able to accomplish in his first NFL season.
Moss had eight games with at least a touchdown as a rookie. Thomas has seven with two games left in the season, meaning that he has a realistic shot to either tie or break Moss' record.
Earlier this year, Thomas set a new team record for receiving yards, receiving touchdowns, and catches for a rookie. Against the Las Vegas Raiders, he also became the first rookie receiver in franchise history to tally 1,000 receiving yards or more. Simply put, the Louisiana native has been everything Jacksonville bargained for and then some.
But as impressive as Thomas was in what turned out to be a disappointing loss against Las Vegas, he's not the only Jaguar who showed out. With that in mind, here are other players who came through in Week 16.
Parker Washington, wide receiver
The Raider's defense isn't particularly great, and Mac Jones had a relatively solid outing. That allowed sophomore Parker Washington to have a productive game, registering six receptions for 54 years. He's now posted 50 yards or more in back-to-back weeks. Having said that, the former Penn State Nittany Lion will need to keep proving himself if he wants to have a featured role next year.
Maason Smith, defensive tackle
Defensive tackle Maason Smith is proof that readiness is always variable coming out of college. The 2024 second-round pick got off to a slow start to his rookie season. Compounding the issue was that he was dealing with an ankle injury, but once he had a chance to get acclimated to the pros and get healthy, he made his presence felt in the trenches.
Against the Raiders, he had his best NFL game yet, registering one sack, one tackle for a loss, and four total pressures. Head coach Doug Pederson was certainly pleased with what he saw.
"Mason played well. He had some really good plays in the game," Pederson told the local media one day after the game. "I'd love to have him get the quarterback on the ground on the one scramble. It was a great play by Aiden O'Connell to get out of his grasp. But I thought overall, Mason played well. He's improving each week. And probably I would say his best game today."
Andrew Wingard, safety
Surprisingly, Andrwe Wingard hasn't gotten the spotlight often this season. Then again, some of it has to do with the fact that he started the season on Injured Reserve after suffering a knee injury in training camp. Then, he needed to once again get used to the rigors of the NFL, but it looks like the wait has paid off.
Against Las Vegas, Dewey had three passes defensed even though he didn't start the game. On top of that, he was the highest-graded Jaguars player that game with a Pro Football Focus overall score of 77.3. With Darnell Savage in concussion protocol, Wingard might get extended playing time in what's left of the season.