Brian Thomas Jr. Is My New Favorite Player On The Jaguars – Because Of His Mom
Brian Thomas Jr., a wide receiver out of LSU, was selected No. 23 overall by the Jacksonville Jaguars. Thomas finished off his career at LSU with an amazing year.
- 17 receiving touchdowns
- 68 catches for 1,177 yards
- 17.3 yards per reception
With those skills, Brian Thomas Jr. could quickly become a favorite target for Trevor Lawrence. But I want to take the time to thank his Mom, Sondra, for the comment she made on tv last night. I think most of us will agree, the questions that the families are asked are beyond trivial. It’s almost embarrassing. The most famous being the old “What was going through your mind” question. I don’t necessarily blame reporter Laura Rutledge for these questions. She was probably told to ask them.
That’s when Sandra, the Mom of new Jacksonville Jaguar Brian Thomas Jr., was asked one of ‘those questions’.
“ "How far has this family come?" - Laura Rutledge
"We came from Baton Rouge, Louisiana." - Sondra Thomas, Brian Thomas Jr.'s mother #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/D8VTa3sazc
"How far has this family come?" - Laura Rutledge
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) April 26, 2024
"We came from Baton Rouge, Louisiana." - Sondra Thomas, Brian Thomas Jr.'s mother #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/D8VTa3sazc
That’s how you do it!
The addition of Brian Thomas Jr. to the Jaguars should help offset the loss of Calvin Ridley and should definitely make Trevor Lawrence happy. Here’s to hoping Brian has an amazing year with the Jaguars. But more importantly, let’s hope sideline reporters find Brian for interviews after the game. And that he’s as clever as his mom.
And please, for the love of round 2. Can we stop it with those questions?
Taking a look at another one of our Florida teams, Tampa Bay, I’ll say we called it when they chose Duke Center Graham Barton in Round 1 last night. Here’s the list we had going into the draft.
4 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Draft Targets
The NFL Draft is difficult to predict. But by looking at Mock Draft’s we can see some of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers draft targets.
This offseason was a fork in the road moment for the Bucs. Franchise cornerstones Mike Evans and Antoine Winfield Jr. both could have left Tampa this offseason. But the team figured out a way to keep them both around and have enough money to resign quarterback Baker Mayfield.
Even though those are the high profile moves that will garner much of the attention from the national media, the team also made other significant moves.
They found their replacement for Shaw Barrett in Randy Gregory who played for Denver and the 49ers last season. They’ve brought in CB Bryce Hall from the Jets to compete for the CB2 role following the departure of Carlton Davis. They also beefed up their offensive line with 3 signings; Ben Bredeson, Justin Skule, and Sua Opeta. Opeta is penciled in as a starter right now with Bredeson a backup.
Randy Gregory #5 of the San Francisco 49ers reacts in the first quarter against the Kansas City Chiefs during Super Bowl LVIII at Allegiant Stadium on February 11, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Draft Order.
The Buccaneers are currently 26th in the 1st round. The Buccaneers hold 7 picks- 1 in the 1st, 2nd, 4th, 6th, and 7th plus 2 picks in the 3rd round; pick number 89 and 92.
Looking at the current roster construction for the reigning NFC South champions, and there is not a clear position for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers draft targets. We will look at what different outlets have the Buccaneers taking in the 1st round. But there is not one position that is overwhelming.
It looks like Jason Licht and the Buccaneers are in a position where they can take the best player on the board or trade back if a team wants to get back into the 1st round.
There are some themes when looking at position groups that fit the Tampa Bay Buccaneers draft targets. Teams have figured out that you can’t acquire enough talent on the offensive and defensive lines, and the Bucs are mocked to take their fair share of linemen.
Here are some Tampa Bay Buccaneers Draft Targets.
EDGE, Jared Verse FSU
(Photo by Isaiah Vazquez/Getty Images)
Pro Football Focus mocked the Buccaneers taking pass rusher Jared Verse in the 1st round with their number 26 pick. PFF describes Verse falling to the Buccaneers as a dream scenario saying “There aren’t many better scenarios for the Buccaneers than somehow coming away with Jared Verse at Pick 26.” The Buccaneers have invested heavily in their defensive line in recent memory. They’ve taken Calijah Kancey, Vita Vea, and Joe Tryon-Shoyinka in the 1st round since 2018. This pick makes perfect sense is Jason Licht has shown he loves taking play makers on the defensive front in the 1st round.
EDGE, Laiatu Latu UCLA
(Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
USA Today has the Buccaneers taking another pass rusher. Laiaty Latu out of UCLA is the reigning PAC-12 defensive player of the year and the Lombardi Award and Ted Hendricks Award for the nation’s best defensive player. This seems to be the spot in the draft that pass rushers start to show the depth of this year’s class. Remember that Jason Licht has taken a ton of defensive players in the 1st round since he took over as GM. And now that the division boasts Kirk Cousins, getting pressure on him should be a huge priority in Tampa.
OT, Amarius Mims UGA
(Photo by Rich Storry/Getty Images)
The Buccaneers are not desperate for an offensive lineman. But if Mims is on the board at 26, this might be my favorite pick for them. This year’s tackle class is one of the deeper one’s in recent memory with up to 7 potentially taken in the 1st round. Coming out of Georgia leads me to believe that Mims is a ready made pro. Maybe it’s Mims, or maybe it’s another offensive linemen the Bucs target here, but I like the idea of going offensive line for a team that was middle of the pack in 2023.
OL, Graham Barton DUKE
(Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
Both The Ringer and Tankathon have mocked Barton to the Buccaneers. Barton is described as a good offensive lineman with good feet that allows him to play any of the interior offensive line spots. Some might see Duke and think “no thanks”. But remember how good Duke was in 2023 under Mike Elko, who is now at Texas A&M. I like my offensive linemen to be smart and able to work on the fly. Barton should be able to do that with his academic background. Like Mims, an opportunity to get better in front of Baker is a great idea.
