Brian Thomas Jr., WR LSU: 2024 NFL Draft Profile

Thomas was a four-star recruit from Walker High School in Walker, La. in the class of 2021

Everyone knows LSU Tigers wide receiver Malik Nabers is a superstar and future All-American, but his teammate Brian Thomas Jr. is also a stud. Thomas received a second round grade, but his size, speed, and ball skills could easily warrant a first round pick.

Visit my Twitter account @Sam_Teets33 for more opinions on prospects, clips, and the latest football content.

Brian Thomas Jr., WR LSU: 2024 NFL Draft Profile

Classification: Junior wide receiver from Walker, La.

Background: Thomas was a four-star recruit from Walker High School in Walker, La. in the class of 2021. He was the No. 89 recruit according to 247Sports, No. 141 for Rivals, and No. 93 for On3.com. ESPN ranked him 111th in the nation with an 84 grade out of 100. Thomas made 30 receptions for 507 yards and seven touchdowns in seven games as a senior. He also produced 75 receptions for 1,272 yards and 17 touchdowns as a junior. Thomas was invited to the 2021 Adidas All-American Bowl. He also starred on the basketball court. As a freshman, he helped the basketball team go 33-4 and win the 5A State Championship. Thomas was named the Most Outstanding Player in the championship game after scoring 20 points and snagging eight rebounds. He produced 29 points and eight rebounds as a sophomore when Walker lost in the 5A State Championship Game. Thomas was a Second Team 5A All-State selection as a junior. He scored more than 1,000 points in each of his three seasons with the basketball team.

Injuries & Off-Field: Missed 2022 Arkansas game with a concussion

Awards: N/A

Pros: Special teams experience on the kick return, kick coverage, punt return, and punt coverage units, some experience playing in the slot, excellent size, long arms expand catch radius, fluid, quick, and explosive footwork, good salesman, uses should and head fakes and hesitation moves, maintains momentum through hesitation moves, effective stutter-go, sells the slant before breaking for a go route, route fakes spin defensive backs around mid-route, consistent threat on double moves, acceleration threatens off-man defenders, massive threat to stack press corners, takes the top off defenses, blew right by Florida State’s Renardo Green (2023), speed translates to YAC, one-cut explosiveness, some sharp cuts and quick acceleration to pull away from would-be tacklers, downfield ball tracking, strong hands, body control, works back to the ball through contact, finishes contested catches through contact, heroic catches on the sideline and the corner of the end zone, knows when to sit down against zone, frame makes him an obstacle when blocking

Cons: Concentration drops have persisted throughout college, could be more physical at the catch point at times, instances of not maximizing his catch radius, not an elite burner, couldn’t top Kool-Aid McKinstry’s speed (2023), not a twitchy or elusive ball carrier, needs to refine and develop short to intermediate route tree, needs to sink hips more at the top of the stem, waist bender on sharp cuts, generates limited separation on intermediate comeback and some in-breaking routes vs. man, occasionally caught off guard by punches in press, release package isn’t diverse, large target for press corners, limited contact balance, shows limited interest as a blocker

Overview: Thomas has special teams experience on the kick return, kick coverage, punt return, and punt coverage units. He primarily plays outside but has some experience playing in the slot. Thomas offers excellent size and long arms that expand his catch radius. He launches off the line with fluid, quick, and explosive footwork that keeps corners guessing and helps him dodge press coverage. Thomas is a good salesman who gets defenders to bite on should and head fakes, hesitation moves, and double moves like stutter-goes and slant-goes. His fakes spin defenders around and disorient them mid-route. The junior’s acceleration threatens off-man defenders and helps him stack press corners. He’s gone if defenders don’t get a hand on him in press coverage. Thomas isn’t an elite burner. He struggled to separate vertically against Alabama’s Kool-Aid McKinstry (2023), but the LSU star is fast enough to take the top off defenses. That speed also helps him generate yards after the catch. Thomas has the explosiveness to make one cut and quickly accelerate away from potential tacklers. The Louisiana native has impressive downfield ball tracking, strong hands, and good body control. He works back to the ball and finishes catches through contact. Thomas has dominated in contested catch situations in the corner and sideline of the end zone in 2023. He knows when to sit down against zone coverage as an outlet for his quarterback. Thomas occasionally suffers from concentration drops. He could be more physical at the catch point. Thomas needs to refine and develop his short to intermediate route tree to complement his vertical prowess. He should sink his hips more at the top of the stem to make sharp cuts. Thomas bends at his waist going into sharp breaks. He generates limited separation on intermediate comeback routes and creates inconsistent space on sharp in-breakers against man coverage. The former four-star recruit is not a twitchy or very elusive ball carrier after the catch. Punches in press coverage occasionally catch Thomas off guard and stunt his route. His release package needs to diversify to combat press coverage considering he’s a large target for corners. Thomas shows limited interest as a blocker and doesn’t maximize his large frame in the run game.

Overall, Thomas is a consistent deep threat with the size and ball skills to generate explosive plays vertically or in the red zone. He needs to continue refining his routes and expanding his route tree at other levels of the field to be an every-down threat. Thomas is not a finished product, but that hints at a high ceiling that the right NFL team can uncover early in his career.

Role & Scheme Fit: Field-stretching X with some slot snaps in an 11 personnel scheme

Round Projection: Second Round

Size: 6'4", 205 lbs. (Unofficial)

Submitted: 11-11-23