Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. (7) rushes for yards en route to a touchdown against New York Jets cornerback Kendall Sheffield (27) during the fourth quarter Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024 at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. The Jets held off the Jaguars 32-25. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union] Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

What Makes Jaguars' Brian Thomas Jr. Unique

Originally posted on Jacksonville Jaguars on SI
By John Shipley | Last updated Jun 28, 2025 3:00 PM ET

The Jacksonville Jaguars have one of the NFL's most unique wide receivers.

Brian Thomas Jr. is one of the NFL's truly elite weapons, proven by his consistent and record-breaking production on a bad Jaguars team in 2024. Entering the 2025 season, the expectations could not be higher for the LSU product.

But just what is it about Thomas that makes him simply such an excellent player? There are obvious answers like his speed, ball-tracking ability, and size and catch radius. But for Jaguars passing game coordinator Shane Waldron, there is a more nuanced point of view.

"Yeah, I think with him, you know, he's a unique three-level receiver in my mind," Waldron said at the end of OTAs earlier this offseason.

Pegged by many as just a deep threat specialist in the lead-up to the 2024 NFL Draft, Thomas showed as a rookie this was far from the case.

Perhaps it is because LSU featured Malik Nabers in their offense's most critical role. Perhaps it is because they only asked Thomas to do so many things as a wide receiver. But there was a misconception on Thomas entering the league that he has put to rest as a result of his ability to win underneath and in the short areas of the field, while also having the ability to pick up tough yards over the middle of the field.

Players with the physical attributes of Thomas do not come around often. The blend of size, speed, and fluid quickness make him as rare as they come -- and that is why he is so dominant.

"Of the different guys I have been around in the past, and, you know, it's hard to compare him to anybody, because everyone's got their own unique skill sets," Waldron said.

"But from him, you see a powerful, you know, guy that can really accelerate off the ball in his drive phase and his routes. But then he's also got that subtle wiggle and that, you know, kind of slipperiness where he can avoid reroutes. Can play in short space as well. So when you have a bigger receiver and they can operate on all three levels in the field, I feel like that's a pretty unique player to have."