Nobody at Jaguars minicamp is turning more heads than Brian Thomas Jr.

Head coach Liam Coen has stated that he wants the Jacksonville Jaguars to dial up more deep shots next season. It looks like he's going to get his wish granted, as wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. has made a strong impression dating back to Organized Team Activities.

Thomas has been focusing on cutting down on the drops and building a better rapport with Trevor Lawrence. On top of that, he's now healthy after dealing with ankle and hand injuries last year.

When you add it all up, it's not particularly shocking to find out that Thomas stole the spotlight on Day 1 of the team's mandatory minicamp.

Brian Thomas Jr. keeps making strides at Jaguars minicamp

Liam Coen met with the local media after Day 1 of minicamp and stated that the Jaguars have put an emphasis on pushing the ball downfield, noting that Brian Thomas Jr. has shown a better connection with Trevor Lawrence.

"It's been a huge point of emphasis. I would say we've probably hit more of those in these OTAs and mini camp than we did of all last season or last offseason combined," Coen said when asked about the Thomas-Lawrence connection (10:32 mark). "That's been the spring and training camp. I would say we've probably hit more of those than last year combined, which is a good thing. It's something that we wanted to emphasize."

Coen continued, "We started to emphasize it more after the buy was in terms of trying to push the ball down the field more, and that chemistry with those two is so important, because if we can be explosive with those down-the-field routes, being able to push the ball down the field with those two specifically well, man."

Later in the exchange, Coen says that by successfully taking deep shots, it opens things up for the rest of the offense.

"I mean, now it truly unlocks what everybody else can do, not only just what he and BT are able to do. It helps Brent Strange, it helps Parker Washington, it helps Jacoby Myers, and it helps the run game, because now it's like, okay, if we keep throwing over your head, now maybe you have to play more two high safeties, be able to lean coverage, and now we're able to run the football, and it helps the underneath guys, so it's, it's crucial to our success," Coen said.

On a related note, Ryan O'Hallaran of the Florida Times-Union noted that Thomas stood out because of a climbed-ladder catch.

The Jaguars should be thrilled with Brian Thomas Jr.'s growth in Year 3

Brian Thomas Jr. has come a long way. Last year, he had trouble connecting with Trevor Lawrence in training camp, and that carried over into the regular season. The fact that he's aware of what was holding him back is refreshing, as he's putting in the work to once again be the receiver who shook the NFL as a rookie.

Not surprisingly, everybody is taking notice of Thomas' change. During an appearance on 1010 XL, team reporter Kainani Stevens stated that Thomas looks like a different player.

And if he can build off his strong performance at mandatory minicamp, he'll once again give the Jaguars an element of verticality that will make their offense hard to stop.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow