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Trevor Lawrence breaks down 'explosive,' Jaguars wideouts Brian Thomas Jr. and Gabe Davis
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- Trevor Lawrence breaks down 'explosive,' Jaguars wideouts Brian Thomas Jr. and Gabe Davis
Major changes are unfolding within the Jacksonville Jaguars ' pass-catcher group. The team invested heavily in the position this offseason, replacing aging veterans with newer, fresh players to make plays.
This spring, Jacksonville handed former Buffalo Bills wideout Gabe Davis a three-year, $39 million deal that includes $24 million fully guaranteed. He's expected to fill the role left void by Zay Jones , who was released not long following the 2024 NFL Draft.
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During the draft, the Jaguars made another shrewd moves to invest in the position group, trading down six spots to pick No. 23, selecting former LSU receiver Brian Thomas Jr. , thought to be the fourth-best receiver in this year's draft, according to consensus big boards. He will fill the shoes left by Calvin Ridley joining the Tennessee Titans .
"You have to be explosive in this league. You know, it's tough enough being consistently efficient. We want to be able to have that explosive element to us," said Jaguars offensive coordinator Press Taylor last week.
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Since entering the league in 2020, Davis ranks first in first-down rate (78.9%), touchdown rate (17.8%), average depth of target (16.3 yards), yards per reception (17.3 yards) and explosive reception rate (45.4%).
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In his first year as a full-time starter for LSU, Thomas caught 68 passes for 1,177 yards (17.3 YPR) and 17 touchdowns. He graded in the top 10 among draft-eligible players in YPR and ranked first in college football for receiving touchdowns.
Simply put, both players exude explosiveness, especially down the field where quarterback Trevor Lawrence has thrived since entering the NFL in 2021. Now, he's had an opportunity to see both of them up close and personal and had nothing but glowing reviews about the new duo at wideout.
'Soaking everything up': Trevor Lawrence impressed by Brian Thomas Jr.'s adeptness
Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. (7) catches a pass during an organized team activity Tuesday, May 28, 2024 at EverBank Stadium’s Miller Electric Center in Jacksonville, Fla.
Though he's only had seven practices to get a good feel for the rookie receiver, Lawrence said Monday that Thomas has soaked in everything quickly and his skills as an athlete jump out immediately.
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"I really like him. Obviously, just talented, can fly, he's really smart and that's the one thing I'm most impressed with is he's picking up the offense super fast," said Lawrence when asked about Thomas.
Thomas' football IQ has been discussed in the past. Recently, Taylor referred to that during his news conference.
"He is a guy that's very easy to communicate with because he's intelligent. Football comes naturally to him. Learning, picturing concepts, understanding routes, how we're attacking certain coverages. So, you see his growth every day, which is fun to see," said Taylor.
The two can be seen discussing concepts during the team's interview with Thomas at the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine in February on the Jaguars' latest episode of "The Hunt."
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Thomas isn't the loudest voice in the room yet, Lawrence said, but he can see some parallels between his rookie year and Thomas'.
"I've been impressed. It's tough for a rookie, I was there obviously at one point, and I was swimming a little bit and to see him come out here and pick everything up and really not skip a beat, has been impressive. Then, the more comfortable he gets in the system and knows what to do, he's just gonna get better and better," said Lawrence.
The two are gaining chemistry with every practice session, and Lawrence says he's starting to get a feel for how Thomas likes to run routes and is being more communicative about how he wants things to look based on what he thinks about particular techniques and coverages on defense.
"I think he's doing a good job of just soaking everything up and that's what this time is about is learning as much as you can so by training camp, obviously you're gonna keep learning but you want to be rolling in training camp and getting ready for the regular season," he said.
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'A good leader': Trevor Lawrence impressed by Gabe Davis ' leadership, willingness to do the dirty work
Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Gabe Davis (0) throws the ball during an organized team activity Tuesday, May 28, 2024 at EverBank Stadium’s Miller Electric Center in Jacksonville, Fla.
While Thomas has quickly adapted to the team's offense thus far, Davis has not had the opportunity to get the full breadth of work he will be in for during the regular season.
Still working his way back from a late-season injury with the Bills last year, Davis has been a light participant in the team's OTAs this spring but Lawrence still has seen plenty to indicate he will be a good addition.
"He's been great," Lawrence said about Davis on Monday. "Just a hard worker, obviously still working his way back in but just a hard worker, he's amrt, he's a good leader."
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Part of Jacksonville's plan for leading into this season was to identify players who bring a championship mentality to the team. Davis is part of that group and has already shown some of that with how he communicates, said Lawrence.
"The way he communicates with the room, he'll talk about stuff that maybe they did in Buffalo that might be a little different, whether it's concepts or route technique, and just some things that they did... you can tell he's really smart, sees the field and understands coverages," he explained.
Davis is set to start outside, opposite Thomas and will be a key cog in not just the team's passing game, but their rushing attack, too. He's willing to do it, too, at least according to Lawrence.
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"It's gonna be a great addition for us, and he's willing to do like all the dirty work too, which is cool to see from a receiver. He's willing to block, kind of do whatever he needs to do, and obviously, he's a playmaker down the field and that'll be a good addition for us," Lawrence said of Davis.
The pair of wideouts will be watched closely leading up to the regular season. After a 9-8 finish that ended in a late-season collapse for the Jaguars in part due to this ineffective offense, Lawrence and co. hope to see stronger finishes thanks to two explosive players added in one offseason.
Demetrius Harvey is the Jacksonville Jaguars reporter for the Florida Times-Union. You can follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @Demetrius82 .
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This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jaguars' Trevor Lawrence on explosive WRs Brian Thomas and Gabe Davis
