Jacksonville JaguarsBrian Thomas Jr. at the top of the rookie class

“Becoming one of quarterback Trevor Lawrence’s favorite targets in his rookie year, Thomas ranks second on the Jaguars with 26 targets through four weeks,” wrote PFF’s Gordon McGuinness. “His 2.35 yards per route is almost a full yard ahead of Christian Kirk, who ranks second on the team with 1.36.”

For Thomas’ Week 4 performance, six catches and an 86-yard showing against a very good Houston Texans defense, Thomas earned an elite grade of 81.1 on 44 snaps.

“Thomas was outstanding last week in Jacksonville’s loss to the Texans,” wrote Dalton Wasserman. “He paced the Jaguars with 86 yards and a PFF grade of 81.7. Five of his six receptions resulted in either a first down or a touchdown. Thomas continues to prove that he is the team’s most reliable weapon.”

Head coach Doug Pederson discussed Thomas’ development on Monday.

“We’re challenging him as a staff, we’re challenging him more and more at his plate,” Pederson said. “I think we see, you obviously see, what type of receiver he is and why we drafted him. He is, holy crap, an incredible competitor. I love that about him – the way he competes on the pitch, he plays hard, he plays fast, he’ll go in there and shut down the defense if he needs to. Good job defensively, so he’s very capable and we’re going to keep throwing the ball that way.”

Our SI Jaguars writer John Shipley requested 15 minutes to meet and discuss the future of the franchise with general manager Trent Baalke.

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