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Jaguars' Brian Thomas Jr. says he has plenty of room to grow after making NFL Top 100 list
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- Jaguars' Brian Thomas Jr. says he has plenty of room to grow after making NFL Top 100 list
Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. isn't satisfied with what he's shown in the NFL thus far.
The second-year receiver was named the No. 61 player in the NFL , according to a poll by his peers and revealed by the league. Thomas, along with Josh Hines-Allen , is one of the two Jaguars players named in the NFL Top 100 this year. Still, Thomas said after the team's seventh practice that he's happy to be named among the NFL's elite.
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"I would say it means a lot to me just being able to make that my rookie year, coming in, just me wanting to come out here and show what I can do. I would say that means a lot to me," Thomas said.
The Jaguars wideout caught 87 passes for 1,282 yards and 10 touchdowns. He ranked third in the league behind fellow former LSU teammates Justin Jefferson and Ja'Marr Chase.
RECAP: Jacksonville Jaguars camp observations: Team has light day on eve of EverBank Stadium scrimmage
Thomas broke franchise rookie records at receiver for receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns. He was also the first rookie in Jaguars history to surpass 1,000 receiving yards.
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Thomas also had seven consecutive games with over 75 receiving yards, tying Jefferson for the second-longest streak by a rookie in NFL history. He also had a total of 11 games with over 75 receiving yards, the most by a rookie in NFL history.
He was nominated for the NFL's Rookie of the Week award eight times, but he did not win the award.
Still, even with all of the accolades and broken records, Thomas isn't quite satisfied with what he's done.
"I feel like I could have been better, so that's what motivates me to come out next year and do even better," Thomas said, adding, too, that earning a spot in the Top 100 doesn't mean he has a target on his back.
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"I would just say I've got to come out and prepare the right way, come out and be ready for whatever the defense throws at us and come out and play team ball and get the job done. That's my biggest thing, getting the job done. Getting wins," he said.
Heading into this season under a new coaching staff, Thomas is focused on learning the playbook and understanding what he can bring to the table.
"Really just getting more into the playbook, knowing the ins and outs of it. Just knowing why we run certain things with certain coverages, what are we trying to do with certain routes and stuff like that," Thomas.
"I would say just being in the film room, being in the playbook. That's probably my biggest thing I've added to my game."
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Thomas feels he has plenty of room to grow, with every appearance adding an opportunity to show what he can do to try to be better than he was a year prior.
Brian Thomas Jr. 's preparation gives coaching staff confidence
Earlier in camp, Thomas wasn't performing to the top of his ability. He didn't appear to be able to catch anything thrown his way and struggled against top corner Tyson Campbell .
Thomas even took out his frustration on one of the padded walls close to the practice field entrance. It was Thomas' worst day of camp thus far.
Still, the Jaguars didn't lose faith in their star wideout, giving him plenty of opportunities the following practice to right the wrongs he dealt the day before. It's also worth noting that Thomas' struggles on that day in practice didn't cause the staff to pull him or pull his targets. He appeared to be targeted the same number of times he would have been with or without struggles.
Jacksonville Jaguars wide receivers Brian Thomas Jr. (7), Travis Hunter (12) and Dyami Brown (5) work on reflexes using tennis balls during an NFL training camp session at the Miller Electric Center, Friday, July 25, 2025, in Jacksonville, Fla. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union]
Jacksonville Jaguars camp observations: Team has light day on eve of EverBank Stadium scrimmage
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That's part of the way head coach Liam Coen operates, and offensive coordinator Grant Udinski explained that he expected Thomas to bounce back after an off day.
"I think when you have those off days, when you're a player like BTJ, you kind of expect that bounce-back day a little bit. The anticipation is that he will make those plays," Udinski said. "So, there was never really any worry or doubt that he was a guy who could come down with some of those catches that he didn't come down with. It was just a matter of time and execution."
There wasn't any long-term, or frankly short-term, concern for Thomas. The expectation was always that he'd bounce back. Essentially, that practice can be thrown away with the caveat that Thomas is expected to learn from it.
"It really comes down to the way he works and for all the guys, you can have that type of confidence. That confidence comes from preparation. The way he works and approaches his skill and his craft, not only from a receiver position, but from mastering the scheme and his job, what he's supposed to do," Udinski explained.
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"When he's dialed in and working and sturdying and doing the things he's supposed to do, the way he does to prepare to come out here and play and come out here and practice, it gives us confidence as coaches. More importantly, it gives him the confidence to come out here and play fast and do that," he added.
Thomas is now entering the second year of his career, expected to take yet another step. He will work side-by-side with receivers Dyami Brown and Travis Hunter , two players who are expected to help elevate Thomas and the offense as a whole.
"It helps a lot. It helps with just competition at practice, we all motivate each other, so it helps a lot just being able to have them out here each and every day. For sure," Thomas said of his fellow wideouts.
The Jaguars return to the practice field inside EverBank Stadium Friday, August 1, at 5:30 p.m.
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Demetrius Harvey is the Jacksonville Jaguars reporter for the Florida Times-Union. You can follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @Demetrius82 or on Bluesky @ Demetrius .
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This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jacksonville Jaguars' Brian Thomas Jr. reacts to making NFL Top 100
