The Jacksonville Jaguars are coming off a disappointing season, but not everything was doom and gloom. Brian Thomas Jr. proved he was a game-changer and routinely provided an element of verticality the offense had been missing for years. Trevor Lawrence recently joined the Kay Adams Showed and talked about the moment he realized the former LSU Tiger was a star in the making.
Lawrence told host Kay Adams that he realized in OTAs and later in the offseason that Thomas was the real deal.
"I've had a couple different moments, Lawrence told Adams. "So our first practice together in OTAs, he made some crazy plays. I threw a through a fade, and he just snagged him with one hand, just casual. Like ball skills were ridiculous. I could see all that right away. He is so fast, it doesn't look like he's running hard. He's one of the smoothest guys I've seen, definitely played with. So that as OTAs, and it seems like the beginning of training camp, we got off to kind of a slow start."
Lawrence continued, "It was just for whatever reason, it seemed like the ball kept going everywhere else, and whereas we're kind of struggling to get involved. But then when we did joint practices with Tampa here in camp, he just blew everybody away. I mean, he was running down the field. We were throwing them bombs, like post these divide routes, everything over the top, he's just running past everybody. And I think that's when you saw a lot of his competitiveness pop and come out."
The other moment came against the Kansas City Chiefs in the preseason.
"And then, obviously, when we played the Chiefs in the preseason, he made a huge play on the sideline. Let it go around. We were all standing there. A lot of guys come out of the game, but he was getting a few more reps, and we were all standing there and watched him make this crazy catch on the sideline. And he was getting hype and to see his competitiveness, because he's a more quiet guy, but to see him come alive and see that fire, I think, was really cool to see," Lawrence said.
Lawrence wasn't the only one who saw just how much of a game-changer Thomas was in training camp last year. Tampa Bay Buccaneers Todd Bowles gave the Jaguars receiver a massive endorsement, noting that had lots of speed and talent.
Surprisingly, Thomas was the fourth receiver off the board in last year's draft. Marvin Harrison Jr., Rome Odunze, and Malik Nabers were all picked ahead of him, but the Louisiana native was the best of the bunch, hauling in 82 receptions for 1,282 yards with 10 touchdowns.
If that wasn't enough, Thomas was a Pro Bowl alternate and a finalist for 2025 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year honors. This is to say that Jacksonville found a keeper and did it after moving down six spots in the draft.
Below is Lawrence's full exchange on the Kay Adams Show. His remarks about Thomas start at the 1:50 mark.
The Jaguars must help Brian Thomas Jr. to take his game to the next level
The Jaguars hired Liam Coen to get the best out of Trevor Lawrence, but Brian Thomas Jr. should also benefit from his arrival. After all, he thrived as a rookie despite the fact that the coaching staff didn't know how to use him, and Mac Jones was the quarterback for nearly half of the season. If that wasn't enough, opposing teams often zeroed in on him because Jacksonville didn't have other players who could draw coverage away.
Fortunately for Thomas, Coen will have no trouble finding creative ways to deploy the star receiver. Moreover, Trevor Lawrence should be back at some point of the offseason. Once he returns, he'll be able to work on his rapport with Thomas.
The bottom line is that the Jaguars have a building block in Brian Thomas Jr., and they'll do what it takes to help him reach new heights after an impressive rookie campaign.