Right out of the gate, Brian Thomas Jr. established himself as a legitimate WR1 last season, giving the Jacksonville Jaguars an element of verticality that their offense had sorely needed for nearly a decade.
But as good as he was as a rookie, the former LSU Tiger is expected to be even better in Year 2, already earning comparisons to Justin Jefferson and Ja'Marr Chase. This begs the question, what would've happened if another team had swooped in and selected him before the Jags did in 2024? Daniel Flick of Sports Illustrated tried to answer the question in a draft do-over.
Flick redid the 2024 draft and had the Arizona Cardinals rolling with Thomas at No. 4 instead of Marvin Harrison Jr., their original pick. The reason he gives is simple: Harrison had a solid rookie campaign but wasn't nearly as dominant as his Jaguars counterpart.
With Thomas no longer on the board, Jacksonville went with Rome Odunze at No. 23. All things considered, he would be a fine selection even if he wasn't as dominant as Thomas last year. Here's what Flick had to say.
"The Jaguars nailed the Thomas pick, so much so that he went off the board 19 picks before they had a chance to get him again," Flick wrote. "Odunze, however, is talented enough to produce at a similar level. The draft's ninth pick, Odunze finished sixth among rookies with 734 receiver yards and seventh with 54 receptions while adding three touchdown grabs."
Harrison was the top receiver prospect in last year's class. However, Malik Nabers — he goes to the Bears in the do-over — and Odunze weren't that far off. Thomas was routinely seen as the fourth best of the bunch but was nevertheless projected to go in the first round.
But then, the regular season came, and Thomas proved to be the best of the bunch. Not that Harrison, Odunze, or Nabers were bad, but Thomas proved to be the best of the bunch.
It's also worth noting that this isn't the first do-over in which Thomas is off the board by the time Jacksonville is on the clock. In a different one Bleacher Report put together, the Jags rolled with Ladd McConkey, who went to the Los Angeles Chargers in Round 2 and also crossed the 1,000-yard mark.
The Jaguars wouldn't change Brian Thomas Jr. but wouldn't complain about Rome Oduzne
If teams knew how talented Brian Thomas Jr. was going to be, he wouldn't have lasted until the pick No. 23. Then again, there's always uncertainty about the draft, regardless of how much time and resources and time clubs pour into doing due diligence on prospects. With that said, the Jacksonville Jaguars knew that there was a chance he wouldn't have been available when they made a deal with the Minnesota Vikings to move down six spots.
In the end, the Jags managed to land Thomas, but if he hadn't been available, they would have probably gone with cornerback Terrion Arnold, who landed with the Detroit Lions one pick later.
It's also worth noting that the Jags were high on both Malik Nabers and Rome Odunze. They even entertained the possibility of trading into the top 10 to pick one of them. However, the cost to move up so many spots might've ultimately discouraged them.
In the end, things played out nicely, and the Jaguars ended with the top receiver of the 2024 draft. Then again, Rome Odunze wouldn't have been a half-bad selection.
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