There's no doubt that Brian Thomas Jr. left a bit to be desired in 2025. That's probably why it's so easy to forget just how electrifying his rookie season was. Right off the bat, he gave the Jacksonville Jaguars an element of verticality their offense had been missing for nearly a decade.
Following his impressive rookie campaign, Thomas was earning comparisons to Ja'Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson, the creme de la creme in the NFL. Sure, his stock has taken a bit of a hit lately, but you can bet that the Walker, Louisiana native would've gone several spots earlier in the 2024 NFL Draft if teams knew just how dominant he was going to be. That's precisely what happened in a recent do-over.
The Jaguars draft Braden Fiske instead of Brian Thomas Jr. in a do-over
Alex Ballentine of Bleacher Report gave the 2024 NFL Draft a do-over and had Brian Thomas Jr. going to the Denver Broncos at No. 12. With the former LSU Tiger off the board, the Jaguars selected pass rusher Braden Fiske, who originally went to the Los Angeles Rams. Here's the skinny:
"Braden Fiske was at the tail end of a run on defensive tackle at the beginning of the second round," Ballentine wrote. "Ruke Orhorhoro, Jer'Zahn Newton and T'Vondre Sweat went right ahead of the Florida State pass-rusher. Thus far, none of them have anywhere near the pass-rushing production Fiske has offered the Rams."
Ballentine continued, "Fiske made his presence felt right away with 8.5 sacks in eight games during his rookie season. He couldn't keep up that blistering sack pace in a full season of work as a sophomore, but he once again had over 40 pressures."
Thomas originally was the fourth receiver taken in 2024 and turned out to be the best of the bunch. Granted, Malik Nabers got most of the accolades, but his Jaguars counterpart had the better stats, registering 82 receptions for 1,282 yards with 10 touchdowns as a rookie.
And precisely because of how productive Thomas was as a rookie, the Jaguars could be hesitant to trade him right now. He was the subject of speculation at the 2025 deadline, but the team's brass stayed put. Following the end of the regular season, head coach Liam Coen made it clear that the third-year receiver will still be 100 percent part of the team's plans.
However, Jacksonville is stacked at receiver with Parker Washington, Travis Hunter, and Jakobi Meyers. That could turn Thomas into a valuable trade chip, which the front office could use to add reinforcements at cornerback, defensive tackle, and the pass rush.
Braden Fiske would give the Jaguars pass rush a huge boost
Whether Brian Thomas Jr. stays next season, it's interesting to wonder what would have happened if the Jaguars had rolled with Braden Fiske in 2024. At the time, they needed a No. 3 pass rusher behind Travon Walker and Josh Hines-Allen after letting K'Lavon Chaisson walk in free agency.
Back in 2024, the Jacksonville pass rush was among the worst in the NFL, but there's no doubt that having Fiske around last year would've been huge. While undrafted rookies Danny Striggow and B.J. Green II flashed, neither is as dominant as the former Florida State Seminole.
Fiske has suited up for 32 consecutive games and logged 11.5 sacks. He could line up opposite Hines-Allen, which would allow the Jags to move Walker inside. That would, in turn, decrease the team's urgency to bolster the pass rush this offseason.
Of course, the Jaguars cannot go back on time, and they're surely pleased with the Brian Thomas Jr. pick, even if he was nearly as dominant in 2025. Still, having a pass rusher of Braden Fiske's caliber around would be nice.