Every year in the NFL, the spotlight shines brightest on the rookie class that makes it’s debut, as everyone wants to see how well these college superstars perform in the pros. While most of the attention is always going to be on the quarterbacks that start, such as Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels, there are plenty of other guys that are making their impact felt every week.
Receiver is another position that gets a lot of attention, and with Marvin Harrison Jr. generating 100+ yards and two touchdowns in his last game against the Rams, he certainly is getting talked about a lot right now. The injury to Rome Odunze, the third WR picked in last years draft, is also big news as it is likely hindering his early play. However, no one seems to be talking about Jacksonville Jaguars rookie receiver Brian Thomas Jr.
The Jags took him at No. 23 overall this past offseason in the draft out of LSU. He was a star for the Tigers and the top option for the aforementioned Daniels in his 2023 Heisman campaign. Jacksonville’s 0-2 start seems to have taken eyes off of him, but he has perhaps been the best rookie in this class so far when you consider how often he is winning at the line.
According to fantasy football expert Austin Abbott, Brian Thomas Jr. ranks 1st in the NFL in Route Win Rate (92.9%).
“It’s blatantly obvious that the Jaguars need to make Brian Thomas Jr. more of a focal point, Trevor Lawrence has a 155.2 QB Rating Per Target (3rd best in the NFL) with BTJ. Ranking 9th in Target Seperation (2.75) is wildly impressive after just 2 NFL games. When you combine his ability to seperate, his abundance of speed (4.33), and his size (6’3, 209 lbs), you begin to understand why he was a 1st round selection in the 2024 NFL Draft,” he wrote on X.
He’s on pace for 51 catches, 1,199 yards, and nine touchdowns so far. He’s 4th in yards per target and 8th in yards per catch. Yet, despite being one of the best receivers in the entire league through two games, I haven’t seen one article or TV show even mention his name to this point.
BTJ will get a matchup with the Buffalo Bills on Monday Night Football, and despite it being one of those terrible double-header MNF days where two games overlap, the attention of the nation will be on his game. His receiving yards prop is set at 41.5 for this game, which seems quite low for how he has been performing as of late. The Bills defense hasn’t been all-world by any means, and even got ripped by the Cardinals in Week 1.
This could be perhaps his coming out party like MHJ’s was last week. He’s easily been one of the most underrated rookies so far.
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