To most of Bills Mafia, one of the Buffalo Bills’ biggest needs is additional help at wide receiver. Fortunately, the 2024 NFL draft promises to be talented and considerably deep at the position.
With Gabe Davis off to greener pastures by signing to play for the Jacksonville Jaguars in free agency, there’s an opportunity for the team to add a receiver of significant promise to develop into a talented WR2. That’s because this draft class has a bevy of elite prospects, many of whom the Bills could potentially take in the first round.
If luck finds the Bills in April, one receiver who could be there for them at pick 28 is LSU Tigers wideout Brian Thomas Jr. He had a fantastic season for LSU in 2023 with 68 receptions, 1,177 receiving yards (17.3 y/r), and 17 touchdowns (while being the second option). Thomas’ production also played a key role in quarterback Jayden Daniels winning the Heisman
Let’s see what the film says about the 6’4”, 205-pound receiver prospect out of Baton Rouge!
Brian Thomas Jr. is elusive
The ability to make defenders miss in open space is coveted by any receiver looking to make their mark in the sport. For this play, Thomas caught the ball in the middle of the field (behind the first down marker). He had an FSU defender in front of him who was in the perfect position to make the tackle — but Thomas made the defender miss and ran forward for the first down.
Physicality is a key component of Brian Thomas’ game
You love to see a wideout who runs through contact. As with this play where, once Thomas caught the ball on the comeback route, he ran forward. The cornerback came up to make the tackle, which Thomas combated by lowering his shoulder and running over the defender.
Brian Thomas shows off his versatility
We get to see Thomas’ versatility through this touchdown highlight. At the snap, Thomas ran right, snaring the hand-off. He showed good vision following his two blocks, then beat the defensive back in a footrace to the end zone for six.
Brian Thomas is an on-demand deep threat
The most important trait in a potential WR1 is deep-threat ability — teams want to know a receiver can get behind the defense on a regular basis. Pre-snap, Thomas was on the outside with the corner in zone coverage. Once the ball was snapped Thomas ran past the corner accelerating further (creating more distance) to make himself wide-open for a touchdown grab.
Brian Thomas beats man-coverage
Before the snap,Thomas was on the inside and covered by the Be Miss corner lined up in man. Once the play rolled, Thomas ran straight forward with the corner in his hip pocket. Thomas then jumped up to catch the ball in the back of the end zone — doing so with little space.
Brian Thomas shows off his route running in the slot
Here, Thomas displayed his ability to make a key play from the slot. Thomas got into his route by stepping left and then heading right. The move created the little bit of space Thomas needed for separation — which resulted in six points.
In summary
Brian Thomas Jr. has an arsenal of weapons ready to unleash on an NFL football field. He plays strong from within the slot, creates separation at all points of the field, finds yards after the catch, and regularly beats man coverage.
Thomas is battle-tested, having played in the SEC for three years against top-notch talent each week.
So, after reviewing a few of Thomas’ highlights — what about his game impresses you the most, and what do you think of his chances to land with the Buffalo Bills? As a rookie with the Bills, do you believe Thomas would step in right away and meaningfully replace Gabe Davis?
2024-03-23 13:00:00
#NFL #Draft #Analyzing #Brian #Thomas #bring #Buffalo #Bills
