JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Jacksonville traded down six spots and drafted LSU receiver Brian Thomas Jr. with the 23rd overall pick in the NFL draft Thursday night, continuing to build around franchise quarterback Trevor Lawrence.
Adding the 6-foot-3, 209-pound Thomas should help offset the loss of Calvin Ridley to division rival Tennessee in free agency and give the Jaguars a chance to have a legitimate No. 1 receiver for the first time since Jimmy Smith retired following the 2005 season.
Thomas led the Bowl Subdivision with 17 receiving touchdowns last season. He finished with 68 catches for 1,177 yards, averaging a whopping 17.3 yards a reception.
He joins a position group that includes Christian Kirk, Gabe Davis and Zay Jones. No one would be surprised to see him become Lawrence's go-to guy at some point, maybe in 2024.
Jacksonville signed Davis to a three-year, $39 million contract that included $24 million guaranteed. Kirk is scheduled to count $24.2 million against the salary cap. Kirk and Jones both missed games last year.
It is the second consecutive year the Jaguars used their first-round pick to help Lawrence. They chose Oklahoma standout Anton Harrison with the 27th pick in 2023. Harrison stepped in at right tackle and was the team’s best lineman as a rookie.
They further bolstered the O-line by signing veteran center Mitch Morse in free agency and re-signing left guard Ezra Cleveland.
But hitting on receivers have been a weakness for the Jags. They’ve repeatedly dropped the ball.
They have selected nine wideouts over the first three rounds of the NFL draft in three decades of existence, and only two of those guys (DJ Chark and Allen Robinson) notched 1,000-yard seasons and just one (Marqise Lee) signed a second contract with Jacksonville.
It’s been a head-scratching stretch of futility the Jags hope to end with Thomas.
LSU teammates Jayden Daniels and Malik Nabers were selected earlier in the night – second and sixth overall, respectively.