Jacksonville took the No. 23-rated prospect on The 33rd Team’s NFL draft big board with pick No. 23, netting three additional selections in the process via trade-down with Minnesota from No. 17 overall last week.
Yet the same outlet gave the Jaguars a “D+” letter grade for their 2024 first-round choice, wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. What gives?
Grades for each Jaguars’ pick after the draft 🐆📝 https://t.co/RkN6tJkSSH pic.twitter.com/9QoMJ0HtTu
— The 33rd Team (@The33rdTeamFB) May 4, 2024
The 33rd Team did not expand on its grades for each of Jacksonville’s picks, and it is unclear who specifically reviewed the Jaguars’ class. The outlet largely consists of former NFL coaches, front-office personnel and football media personalities.
But per its scouting grade and report for Thomas, The 33rd Team believes Thomas will be a “strong starter” in the NFL and that he was the No. 5-rated player at his position in the draft.
Three receivers — Marvin Harrison Jr., Malik Nabers and Rome Odunze — were taken within the top 10 picks. The 33rd Team’s No. 4-rated receiver, Keon Coleman, went to Buffalo at pick No. 33 in the second round.
“Thomas is a height/weight/speed receiver whose ability to take the top off the defense and consistently make clutch receptions make him a strong starting-level receiver as long as he takes to learning an NFL route tree and improves his concentration,” the outlet previously wrote about Thomas.
Jacksonville greatly needed a starting-caliber wide receiver prospect entering the draft, too, considering its leading receiver from last season, Calvin Ridley, signed with AFC South rival Tennessee in March via free agency.
The Jaguars’ best picks in the 2024 draft, per The 33rd Team, were fourth-round selections, offensive tackle Javon Foster and defensive tackle Jordan Jefferson. Both earned “B” grades. Jacksonville’s third-round choice, cornerback Jarrian Jones, received a “B-.”
The rest of their picks earned a “C+” or worse:
- Maason Smith, defensive tackle, second-round: “D”
- Deantre Prince, cornerback, fifth-round: “C”
- Keilan Robinson, running back/return specialist, fifth-round: “F”
- Cam Little, kicker, sixth-round: “C-“
- Myles Cole, EDGE, seventh-round: “C+”
Do you think the Jaguars received fair draft grades from The 33rd Team? How about from the NFL Wire staff? Let us know via social media at JaguarsWire on Facebook and @TheJaguarsWire on X (formerly known as Twitter).
