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Gene Frenette: Jaguars' first-round draft pick Brian Thomas Jr. must have immediate impact
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- Gene Frenette: Jaguars' first-round draft pick Brian Thomas Jr. must have immediate impact
Cornerback or receiver? That was the question Jacksonville Jaguars ' general manager Trent Baalkestill faced once he traded down six spots to No. 23 overall in the first round of the NFL Draft.
Tempting as it may have been for the cornerback-needy Jaguars to grab Alabama's Terrion Arnold , who went to the Detroit Lions with the next pick, it's hard to argue against them adding LSU receiver Brian Thomas Jr. to an offense that flatlined last year by scoring just 22.2 points per game.
LSU receiver Brian Thomas Jr. (11), seen here running the ball against Texas A&M last season, should provide the Jaguars a vertical threat they desperate need with the departure of Calvin Ridley.
More: Gene Frenette: Jaguars' 2024 rebound starts with avoiding misfires near top of NFL Draft
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With Jacksonville dropping five of its last six games and blowing the AFC South division title, nothing likely had the blood of head coach Doug Pedersonboiling more than seeing his offense go limp in so many crucial moments down the stretch.
Thomas — the first receiver Baalke has taken in the first round since Parker High graduate A.J. Jenkins went bust with the San Francisco 49ers in 2012 — figures to be a big antidote toward fixing that.
At 6-foot-3, 209 pounds with 4.33 speed, plus matching Justin Jefferson 's career mark at LSU with 24 touchdowns (17 last year), Thomas' resume screams out one word: weapon.
Bringing him to a receiver room that already has Christian Kirk , Zay Jones and free agent Gabe Davis ,along with tight end weapon Evan Engram , there's no excuse for this offense — health permitting for quarterback Trevor Lawrence — to not eclipse the franchise record of 417 points set in 2017.
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"You're adding a skilled receiver, you're adding depth, adding an element of speed we haven't had since Calvin last year," said Pederson. "Great size. Big. Tall. Has a very good route tree, can run all the routes.
"Once we get him in here too, really get our hands on him, get him into the playbook in a couple of weeks, and really see how we can use him, I think it can only be a great asset for us on offense. Not only open up the field, but I think open up some other elements of the offense."
As was the case last year, with the selection of tackle Anton Harrison at No. 27, the Jaguars got lucky with a trade-down that netted three extra picks and still landed a player they coveted among a group of viable prospects.
They had a choice of the top two cornerbacks at 17, Toledo's Quinyon Mitchell or Arnold, along with Thomas. The Jaguars took a calculated gamble one of them would still be there at 23, and it paid off.
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"There's risk, there's reward," said Baalke. "When we got the call [from the Minnesota Vikings ] to move back to 23, [Pederson] looked at me, I looked at him, we said, 'Yeah, let's do it.'
"The way the board looked and where the needs were, the teams in between us, we felt we had a chance. We felt we were gonna get a really good football player that we had high on our board with the move back. Fortunate that Brian [Thomas] was still there."
The fact Baalke noted Pederson "has been a big supporter [of Thomas] since day one," probably didn't hurt his chances of winding up in black and teal.
Now it's up to the Jaguars to help Thomas follow in the footsteps of the receiver he grew up admiring the most, Julio Jones , a seven-time Pro Bowler looking for a new employer after 13 NFL seasons.
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Given the Jaguars' suspect history at drafting first-round receivers, they'd be doing cartwheels if Thomas has anywhere near the career of a potential future Hall of Famer.
The bottom line is Thomas comes from a long line of proven LSU receivers ( Ja'Marr Chase, Odell Beckham, Jr. ) who has the skill set and production to make Lawrence's job a lot easier.
Brian Thomas Jr . gives the Jaguars' offense a vertical threat and some real juice. No debate how much they need that.
Jacksonville Jaguars' GM Trent Baalke will need the team's first-round draft pick to have an immediate impact.
Another London double dip
It's not exactly a highly-guarded secret among league insiders, but when the NFL schedule is released sometime in May, the Jaguars are expected to return for another London doubleheader in 2024, according to a league source.
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As was the case last year, the Jaguars will play one home at Wembley Stadium — the Cleveland Browns or New England Patriots are the favored opponent, with the New York Jets a long shot — and face the Chicago Bears as the road team at Tottenham Hotspur.
The Jaguars will be returning to London for another doubleheader in 2024, facing the Chicago Bears as the road team at Tottenham Hotspur and an undetermined opponent for a home game at Wembley Stadium in back-to-back weeks.
Those games will be in back-to-back weeks, but the order isn't set in stone. It's possible the Jaguars could play the Bears at Tottenham first, then go to Wembley the following week as the home team. The most likely dates will be sometime in October, though the Georgia-Florida game that has often coincided with a Jaguars' game in London is scheduled for Nov. 2.
Besides Jacksonville, the only teams hosting a game in London are the Bears and Minnesota Vikings (both at Tottenham Hotspur) and the Jaguars are already playing Minnesota at EverBank Field. The Jaguars have no intention of playing two home games in London, knowing the public relations uproar that would incite.
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Since the Jaguars began playing London games in 2013, they have played eight of 11 games in October and have a 6-5 record. Jacksonville beat the Atlanta Falcons 23-7 at Wembley last year in Week 4, then defeated the Buffalo Bills 25-20 the following week at Tottenham Hotspur.
Will Jags lean toward family DNA?
It's likely many of the dozen or so NFL draft prospects whose fathers played in the league will go off the board in the first three rounds. Two sons of more famous fathers could interest the Jaguars if they're available on Day 3.
One is Rice receiver Luke McCaffrey , son of longtime NFL receiver Ed McCaffrey, and younger brother of one of the league's most dependable running backs, Christian.
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McCaffrey has only played receiver full-time the past two seasons after starting his college career at Nebraska as a quarterback. It's impressive he was first-team, All-AAC after so little time at receiver, accumulating 992 yards and 13 TDs last season.
Another intriguing prospect with NFL pedigree is Utah edge rusher Jonah Elliss , son of former Detroit Lions' star lineman and 1995 first-round draft pick, Luther Elliss. Jonah, who could be available when the Jaguars pick late in the third round (No. 96) or twice in the early fourth (No. 114, No. 116), had 12 sacks last season despite missing three games with a torn labrum.
NFL draft trivia
Since free agency began in 1993, the Pittsburgh Steelers have had the least number of NFL top-10 draft picks with two. Who are they? (Hint: one had a Super Bowl game-winning touchdown for another team). Answer at bottom.
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Grayson Allen in for NBA long haul
With Grayson Allensigning a four-year, $70 million contract extension last week with the Phoenix Suns, the Providence High alumnus potentially becomes the first player from the Jacksonville area since Bolles School product Dee Brownto have a shot at a 10-year NBA career.
The long-term deal for Allen, 28, comes after a breakout season in which he averaged a career-high 13.5 points per game and led the NBA with a .461 shooting percentage from three-point range.
Allen was traded to Phoenix before training camp in a three-team deal involving the Milwaukee Bucks, who acquired Damian Lillardfrom the Portland Trail Blazers, while the Suns sent former No. 1 overall draft pick Deandre Aytonto Portland.
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Phoenix is Allen's fourth team in six seasons, but he immediately won a starting job. The rich contract extension indicates the 6-foot-4 guard from Duke, who aggravated a sprained right ankle and left Game 2 in Tuesday's playoff loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, might have a long stay with the Suns.
By scoring 1,014 points this season, Allen became the fourth Jacksonville NBA player to hit the 1,000-point mark. Leonard "Truck" Robinson(Raines) did it six times for four different teams from 1977-82, Otis Smith(Forrest/Westside) once for the Orlando Magic in 1990-91 and Brown twice for the Boston Celtics in the 1990s. Both Smith and Brown went on to stardom at Jacksonville University.
Quick-hitting nuggets
While trying to make a point last week about workout players looking to possibly land a spot as an undrafted free agent, Baalke inadvertently said more players make the Pro Football Hall of Fame as undrafted players than as first-round picks. Just the opposite is true. Since the first NFL draft in 1936, the number of first-round selections enshrined in Canton is 147. By comparison, only 23 undrafted free agents whose careers began after the first draft are in the HOF, according to Elias Sports Bureau, the last being the late Sam Mills in 2022. . . .
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The world's oldest living MLB player, 5-foot-9, 155-pound left-handed pitcher Art Schallock, turned 100 on Thursday. A former roommate of Yogi Berra, he was called up to the New York Yankees in 1951 when a slumping Mickey Mantlewas optioned to Triple-A Kansas City. He originally signed with the Brooklyn Dodgers before getting traded to the Yankees, where he was a member of three World Series teams. His MLB career lasted just four years, closing it out with the Baltimore Orioles, where Schallock ironically gave up his last home run to Mantle.
Trivia answer
Since NFL free agency began in 1993, the only two Steelers' top-10 draft picks are receiver Plaxico Burress(No. 8, 2000) and linebacker Devin Bush (No. 10, 2019). Burress caught the game-winning TD pass for the New York Giants in their 17-14 victory over the undefeated New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII.
Gfrenette@jacksonville.com : (904) 359-4540; Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @genefrenette
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Adding firepower: LSU receiver Thomas gives Jaguars' offense a needed boost
