JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Brian Thomas Jr. capped his stellar first season with a pair of franchise records on Jacksonville’s opening drive of the game Sunday against the Jets.
Thomas, the 23rd pick in last April’s draft, caught a 4-yard pass from Mac Jones to break Justin Blackmon’s yardage record of 865 on the ninth play of the game. Five plays after that, Jones hit Thomas in the end zone on a 3-yard strike to give him the touchdown record by a Jacksonville rookie. The Jaguars lost 32-25 despite a career-best day in catches (10) and touchdowns (2) from Thomas.
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Blackmon was the No. 5 overall pick in 2012 and flashed enormous potential before off-the-field issues derailed his career. Thomas is tied with Blackmon for most rookie receptions (64). He enters Week 15 with 956 yards and eight touchdowns.
After years and years of whiffs taking receivers in the first round, Thomas looks like the real deal. Jacksonville traded down in the first from, from No. 17 to 23, sending that pick to Minnesota for pick No. 23, No. 167 and third- and fourth-round selections in the 2025 draft.
Thomas is the fifth wideout taken by the franchise in the opening round and joins Blackmon as the only receivers who have made a significant contribution in their opening season. R. Jay Soward (2000), Reggie Williams (2004), Matt Jones (2005) and Blackmon were first-round picks by Jacksonville.
Jones was a quarterback in college and was out of the league after four years with the Jaguars. Williams spent five years in Jacksonville and was out of the league after a practice squad stint in Seattle after that. Soward played in 13 games and was out of league after his rookie year. Blackmon played in 20 games over two seasons before he was suspended for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy.