2024 Exclusive Sneak Peek: Brian Thomas Jr, WR LSU
Welcome to the Exclusive Sneak Peek: Brian Thomas Jr, a Wide Receiver from LSU. He is from Walker, Louisiana, and was a 4-star recruit out of Walker High School.
During his Freshman year, Thomas Jr was an immediate producer, appearing in 12 games. During that freshman season, he hauled in 28 receptions for 359 receiving yards and 2 touchdowns.
His sophomore season in 2022 saw him put up nearly identical production in 13 games as he recorded 27 receptions for 330 yards but saw his touchdown total double to 4.
The 2023 season was where he exploded as a junior. In 13 games for LSU, he put up 68 receptions for a whopping 1,177 yards and an insane 17 touchdowns, solidifying himself as an elite receiving prospect.
Measurables
NCAA Statistics
| Receiving | Rushing | Scrimmage | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | School | Conf | Class | Pos | G | Rec | Yds | Avg | TD | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | Plays | Yds | Avg | TD |
| *2021 | LSU | SEC | FR | WR | 12 | 28 | 359 | 12.8 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 3.0 | 0 | 30 | 365 | 12.2 | 2 |
| *2022 | LSU | SEC | SO | 13 | 31 | 361 | 11.6 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 31 | 361 | 11.6 | 5 | ||
| *2023 | LSU | SEC | JR | WR | 13 | 68 | 1177 | 17.3 | 17 | 1 | -6 | -6.0 | 0 | 69 | 1171 | 17.0 | 17 |
| Career | LSU | 127 | 1897 | 14.9 | 24 | 3 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 130 | 1897 | 14.6 | 24 | ||||
Scouting Reports
Strengths
- He has great quick twitch ability and excellent body control.
- Explosive separator off the line, tough to keep pace with.
- Elite combination of size, speed, and strength. He is a prototypical Alpha WR build.
- Very elusive and physical after the catch with great YAC ability.
- He has great ball-tracking skills and his downfield presence makes him an elite deep threat.
Weaknesses
- Underdeveloped route tree with limited variations.
- He needs to refine his route cuts on shorter routes as his footwork and execution can be sloppy in the short and intermediate areas.
- He only had one year of elite production to base evaluation on, his first two seasons were unremarkable.
Pre-Draft Analysis
Expected Draft Capital: Late 1st Round
Ideal Landing Spot: Kansas City Chiefs
Every year the Chiefs pick at the end of the first round, and every year we project a handful of receivers to be selected by them. They will likely pass on receiver because that’s what they do every year, but if this were the year that they finally pay up for an elite wide receiver, Brian Thomas Jr. would make for an elite WR1 to pair with Rashee Rice as the WR2.
Rice has had an electric rookie season, but if Travis Kelce were to retire, Thomas Jr fits the role of Alpha WR more than Rice does. He is projected to go slightly higher than the Chiefs currently pick, but in the NFL Draft, anything can happen. If he happens to fall to the back end of the first round, the Chiefs should grab ahold of the gift they received and run with their new stud receiver.
Post-Draft Analysis
Pick 1.23 to the Jacksonville Jaguars
Thomas Jr.
Check out The Fantasy Football Universe video breakdown of Brian Thomas Jr. below.
