Louisiana-born Brian Thomas Jr. elected to remain at home when he committed to LSU in 2021. He played in 12 games as a freshman alongside Kayshon Boutte and Malik Nabers. The Fighting Tigers improved in 2022 with the addition of quarterback Jayden Daniels, but Malik Nabers was the only receiver to see a marked increase that season. Last year, Daniels threw for 40 touchdowns, and Nabers (89-1596-14) and Thomas (68-1177-17) led LSU in receiving and are in this draft.
It was a breakout season and has propelled him up the draft boards. Nabers may be drafted as early as fifth overall. Thomas is also expected to be selected in Round 1, and may be taken as high as the fifth wideout in the latter half of the initial round. The LSU passing offense was prolific for these last two years and Jayden Daniels is expected to be drafted among the first three quarterbacks that kick off the Day 1 selections.
Thomas was fortunate to have one of the best college quarterbacks for these last two years, but Daniels was also blessed with Nabers and Thomas. While Nabers ranked No. 2 in the nation with 1,569 receiving yards, the 17 touchdown catches by Thomas were No. 1 in the NCAA – two more than any other receiver.
Height: 6-3
Weight: 209 pounds
40 time: 4.33 seconds
Thomas did well at the NFL Combine. His 4.33 40-time was the second fastest of those who tested. His height and weight was identical to both Marvin Harrison Jr. and Rome Odunze who are expected to be among the first five receivers taken.
Brian Thomas Jr. stats (2021-23)
| Year | School | Games | Catch | Yards | Avg. | TD | Rush | Yards | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | LSU | 12 | 28 | 359 | 12.8 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 0 |
| 2022 | LSU | 13 | 31 | 361 | 11.6 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | LSU | 13 | 68 | 1177 | 17.3 | 17 | 1 | (-6) | 0 |
Pros
- Elite combination of height, weight, and speed – very athletic
- Superior speed and burst makes him a vertical threat
- Solid body control to box out defenders and win contested catches
- Big play threat whenever he lines up
- Speed and burst that makes him hard to overthrow
- Touchdown machine both breaking clear after catch and using physicality in the end zone in traffic
- Fluid route runner that can influence defenders using cuts and double cuts
- Respect for his speed opens him up for short passes and yards-after-catch
Cons
- Should expand route tree to reach potential
- Can be knocked off balance by defensive backs
- Still has room to grow in consistency with focus
- Just one season of note in college and that was in a top passing offense with Nabers there to concern secondary
Fantasy Outlook
Thomas had just one one monster season, and he was inside of a prolific offense. But he has all of the desired attributes of an NFL outside wide receiver and he led the country in receiving scores while playing in the SEC. He’d be a tremendous addition to an offense that already has a No. 1 wideout and wants to pair him with a talented rookie that may take a year or two to reach his potential.
Thomas started out this spring as a potential Top-10 pick but more recent projections have him somewhere in the middle. That means any NFL team could potentially move up or down to reach him.
Potential landing spots include the Bengals as an attractive option, especially if Tee Higgins were to be traded. The Indianapolis Colts and Kansas City Chiefs have also been mentioned, though the Chiefs would need to move up to reach him. It’s not impossible for him to end up with the Chargers if they move back a few spots. The Bills and Steelers could also be interested.
Thomas may evolve into an elite No. 1 wideout for an NFL team, but he could be equally valuable as part of a tandem in any of the top passing teams. Thomas should offer at least moderate fantasy value even as a rookie, but his ceiling is not yet known.
