Brian Thomas Jr. – LSU
6-foot-3 | 209lbs
Career Stats: 127 rec 1,897 yds 24 tds
Pros
Brian Thomas Jr.’s biggest asset is his speed. Overshadowed by the record-breaking 40 time that Xavier Worthy ran, Thomas Jr. came in second with a 4.33 at 6-foot-3 209-pounds! Sometimes players test well at the combine, which doesn’t always translate to live game action. That is not the case with BTJ as his speed jumps out immediately — and it’s not just his long speed. His acceleration is elite, and he does an excellent job changing speeds to fool DBs and set them up for double moves.
He tracks the ball well in the air and has a large catch radius making him a big-play threat and one that will have to be respected at the next level. Thomas Jr.’s combination of size, speed, and acceleration make him one of the top 6 best receiver prospects in this draft class and one that will surely be drafted in the first round of dynasty rookie drafts.
Embed from Getty ImagesCons
One area that most scouts point to as a weakness for BTJ is his route tree…or lack of a route tree to be more accurate. His route tree consists mostly of the deep variety to take advantage of his speed, but in the NFL and for fantasy purposes, he needs to develop into a better all-around receiver if he is to reach his full potential.
He struggled at times with beating press man — often he allowed DBs to reroute him or jam him which threw off the timing of the play. He will see more press man at the next level than he ever did at LSU, especially if he continues to struggle with it.
Summary
There is a lot to like about BTJ and the few things there are to not like are all things that can be coached. What can’t be coached are his physical skills, his size, and his speed — NFL teams will fall in love with that and make him a 1st round NFL draft pick, which makes him an easy 1st round dynasty pick in every format. He has settled in as the WR4 in this class behind only Marvin Harrison Jr., Malik Nabers, and Rome Odunze. A great landing spot could see him leapfrog one of those three players if they end up in unfavorable situations.
Strengths
- Long Speed
- Acceleration
- Catch Radius
- Ball Tracking
Concerns
- Beating press man
- limited route tree
2024 Dynasty Rookie Draft Projection: Mid 1st round pick overall, WR4
Ideal Role: WR2 in an explosive offense that likes to push the ball down the field, could be an alpha eventually, but needs to improve route running. He might be forced into an alpha role immediately based on expected draft capital and could struggle in year one.
Player Comp: Martavis Bryant, DJ Chark
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