Mel Kiper Jr. expects to push Brian Thomas Jr. lower on his big board
ESPN NFL Draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. is high on LSU wideout Brian Thomas Jr., placing him 11th in his latest Big Board rankings ahead of the 2024 NFL Draft later this month.
Kiper, however, admitted he may have jumped the gun a little bit with his ranking of Thomas. Speaking with fellow NFL Draft analyst Field Yates, Kiper said he’ll probably “move him down just a bit” after thinking it over this past weekend.
“There’s fluidity for me with Brian Thomas Jr. in terms of ranking,” Kiper said. “I think I have him a little too high at 11. May move him down just a bit. I was thinking about that over the weekend, [and] I want to have more of a gap between a Rome Odunze and a Brian Thomas Jr. … Brian Thomas Jr. had a great year, no doubt about it. 68 catches, 17.3-yard average and 17 touchdowns. But the first two years [at LSU] he had 59 catches for a 12-yard average and seven touchdowns, that’s combined. So, he did something this year that he had never done before, average per catch up from 12 yards to 17 plus, touchdowns up from seven over two years to 17 in one year.
“So, the production jumped dramatically. 6-foot-3, 210, 38 1/2 vertical, 4.33 speed, could get a little stronger. But tracking the deep ball for Jayden Daniels — he put it out there and he even showed it at the Pro Day. He can do all of that, Field. He’s a great centerfielder. He can play shallow, and he can get to that wall and make that leap and prevent a home run. He can track the ball, we get that.”
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Thomas, 21, is thought by many to be the leader of the second wave of receiver prospects following Ohio State’s Marvin Harrison Jr., fellow LSU receiver Malik Nabers and Washington’s Odunze. After two middling seasons at LSU, Thomas broke out in a big way in 2023. In 13 games, he hauled in 68 receptions for 1,177 yards and 17 touchdowns. Thomas earned second-team All-SEC honors.
Kiper questions if Thomas can become a complete receiver in the NFL.
“Will he be a complete receiver in the NFL? He’s basically a one-year wonder and will he be complete and do all the other things you need to do as a receiver against these big-time, physical corners in the NFL? That’s why I’m probably gonna push him down just a bit when my final rankings come out,” Kiper said. “He may be around the 15-18 area. 11 right now to me this weekend, felt a little high for Brian Thomas Jr.”