2024 NFL Draft Profile - WR Brian Thomas Jr.

[Mike FF Today 609]

LSU continuing to churn out the wideouts...

WR Brian Thomas Jr.

[polecatt 404]

Looks excellent on paper.

Great size and speed.

I must say his scouting report, the weaknesses seem kind of like nitpicking a bit. By that I mean they don't seem to be that serious.

LSU has a good recent history of WRs in the NFL. This guy could be another good one from Baton Rouge

[Ray_T 593]

4.33  for the 40.  That is impressive.   I'll have to take a look at some of the tape on this kid.  

[polecatt 404]

12 hours ago, Ray_T said:

4.33  for the 40.  That is impressive.   I'll have to take a look at some of the tape on this kid.  

He's 6'3, 210 lbs too

[Ray_T 593]

yeah, one scouting report I saw said they loved what they saw but they couldnt predict whether he will be a #1 WR as he benefitted from being on a very talented team

With Nabers on the other side, he did not see double teams very often. (nor should he)  so based on the tape I've seen there are two possibilities.

1)  hes as good as advertised and can beat double teams and is a true #1 WR.

or 

2) he struggles with double teams (especially early in his career) and caps off at being a very good #2 WR.

 

so while there are questions here, I still think he has a fairly high floor.   I have questions about his ceiling though the measurables are all there.

That said the issue above is one that is not his fault.   but when you dont see the double team often, then its hard to say just how high your ceiling actually is.   Granted a good, pro level receiving coach should be able to work with him but I do think its likely he doesnt fully break out in year 1 unless there is already a proven alpha WR on the roster to keep the double teams to a minimum.

I do not expect him to go early in round 1 so its possible he lands on a pretty good team if he goes late in round 1.   I think that would actually be better for his early career upside

[Maximum Overkill 669]

LSU is a WR Factory. 

I wasn't real high on Thomas until I really watched deeper. He is a beast!. 

From a fantasy perspective I think his game translates beautifully to the pros and should be a high volume target monger. 

Not saying it should or will happen, but I wouldn't be surprised if he's off the board before Odunze on Thursday. 

 

[Maximum Overkill 669]

6'3 - 4.33 Speed is unreal. 

"Thomas was among college football's best separators for his entire career, and that only improved in his last season. In 2023, Thomas was charted as open on 74 of his 87 targets. He also led college football with 17 receiving touchdowns.

At the NFL combine, he ran a 4.33-second 40-yard dash, which ranks in the 97th percentile among all receivers. His rare blend of size (6-foot-3) and speed will make him a hot commodity during the draft process". 

[Ray_T 593]

10 hours ago, Maximum Overkill said:

6'3 - 4.33 Speed is unreal. 

"Thomas was among college football's best separators for his entire career, and that only improved in his last season. In 2023, Thomas was charted as open on 74 of his 87 targets. He also led college football with 17 receiving touchdowns.

At the NFL combine, he ran a 4.33-second 40-yard dash, which ranks in the 97th percentile among all receivers. His rare blend of size (6-foot-3) and speed will make him a hot commodity during the draft process". 

for sure.

hes a first rounder.   for the record I was not bashing the guy.

like I said, its hard to estimate a players true upside when the double coverage was usually on another player on the team.

beating double coverage is usually the sign that the guy has the upside of an elite #1 WR.     we never saw much of this because that double coverage was usually on Nabers.   so its hard to say just what type of upside he truly has.

its kind of like Leveon Bell.  he could catch balls but his college team didnt utilize that part of his skillset anywhere close to the max of his ability so he was drafted lower in the draft than he should have been because that part of his skillset was not known on draft day.

that may actually be the case here.   he could possibly be the best WR coming out of the draft.   right now that's not the prediction but it is one of the many possible outcomes we could see at the pro level.   he could also just end up being that high end #2 WR. 

Tough to say for sure.     its just a shame he had to live in the shadow of Nabers.  

[Maximum Overkill 669]

15 minutes ago, Ray_T said:

for sure.

hes a first rounder.   for the record I was not bashing the guy.

like I said, its hard to estimate a players true upside when the double coverage was usually on another player on the team.

beating double coverage is usually the sign that the guy has the upside of an elite #1 WR.     we never saw much of this because that double coverage was usually on Nabers.   so its hard to say just what type of upside he truly has.

its kind of like Leveon Bell.  he could catch balls but his college team didnt utilize that part of his skillset anywhere close to the max of his ability so he was drafted lower in the draft than he should have been because that part of his skillset was not known on draft day.

that may actually be the case here.   he could possibly be the best WR coming out of the draft.   right now that's not the prediction but it is one of the many possible outcomes we could see at the pro level.   he could also just end up being that high end #2 WR. 

Tough to say for sure.     its just a shame he had to live in the shadow of Nabers.  

Gabe Davis with + upside? 

That's kinda what I see. Only with a crazy high ceiling. 

 

[Ray_T 593]

30 minutes ago, Maximum Overkill said:

Gabe Davis with + upside? 

That's kinda what I see. Only with a crazy high ceiling. 

 

well, nearly all the tools are in the toolbox.   Now its mostly a way of figuring out how to use those tools at the pro level and (hopefully)  landing with a QB/coach combo that can make good use of his talents.

given his speed, there will be plenty of corners giving him a cushon cuz they dont wanna get beat deep.   Speed brings a lot of things that make up for deficiencies elsewhere.

if running a 4.3 40 I doubt that double coverage matters much if he can easily outrun the coverage.    but that wont play a role until hes at a point where teams want to double cover him.   So there is time for the pro level coaching to make sure he knows how to deal with that when it comes.

[nobody 2,050]

His measurables are outstanding, but I saw no evidence that he can turn.  

Seems like a Michael Gallup type.   Just line up and run go routes all game.

[jrokh 569]

17 tds isn’t a number easily ignored…