Two-way star Travis Hunter is the talk of the town, but Brian Thomas Jr. is still the No. 1 for the Jacksonville Jaguars. The former LSU Tiger turned heads with a dominant rookie campaign and is expected to be even better in Year 2. He's getting rave reviews ahead of the 2025 season, and an NFL analyst is wasting no time jumping on the hype train.
Brandon Austin of Pro Football Network drew up a list of the top 100 NFL players ahead of the 2025 season and placed Thomas at No. 85, noting that the sophomore wideout will be even more productive than he was last year now that Christian Kirk and Evan Engram are out of the mix.
"With Christian Kirk and Evan Engram gone, Thomas is poised for an even larger role," Austin wrote. "He should also benefit from a healthy Trevor Lawrence, the addition of Travis Hunter, and Liam Coen taking over play-calling duties."
Kirk and Engram had a combined 74 receptions for 744 yards with two touchdowns last year even though they sat out nine and eight games, respectively. Before injuries, the two of them were key cogs in the Jacksonville offense, but the team's brass moved on from both in the offseason, citing the need to address the larger-scale roster.
Now, it's worth noting that Brenton Strange will step in Engram's place and will take on some of his targets. Similarly, wide receiver Parker Washington could earn a bigger role, and both Travis Hunter and Dyami Brown are also expected to get ample playing time, so Thomas may not see a massive uptick in receptions.
On the other hand, the Louisiana native will still benefit from the more favorable matchups he'll get because of the arrival of Brown and Hunter. Having Trevor Lawrence behind center after catching passes from Mac Jones for a good chunk of the 2024 season should also help.
Thomas hauled in 82 receptions for 1,282 yards with 10 touchdowns as a rookie. Moreover, he was a Pro Bowl alternate and finished fourth in Offensive Rookie of the Year voting.
Related: Travis Hunter has the chance to accomplish a feat Jim Brown last achieved
The national media is paying attention to Brian Thomas Jr. ahead of 2025
Aside from making Pro Football Network's top 100 list, Brian Thomas Jr. also popped up in the top half of CBS Sports' top 100 ranking. He was the only Jaguars player to appear on both lists. Similarly, the Louisiana native earned an honorable mention in ESPN's ranking of the top 10 best receivers ahead of 2025.
The only potential objection about Thomas' spot on all those lists is that fellow receiver Malik Nabers got a higher spot in two of them, even though he wasn't nearly as productive.
Sure, Nabers had more catches than Thomas in 2024 but had fewer receiving touchdowns, and his yard-per-catch average was lower.
Nevertheless, it's encouraging to see Brian Thomas get so much attention ahead of the 2025 season, and if he breaks out as he's expected, the spotlight will only shine brighter.