Brian Thomas Jr. has been selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars with the No. 23 pick in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft.

Thomas became LSU’s second wide receiver selected in Thursday night’s opening round. Teammate Malik Nabers was taken with the No. 6 pick by the New York Giants. After the 2023 draft saw LSU’s string of consecutive years with a first-rounder end at 4, Thomas and Nabers got the Tigers back on the board.

LSU had a pair of receivers taken in the first 60 picks of the 2021 NFL Draft. Nabers and Thomas are the first pair of Tiger wideouts to both go in the first round since Dwayne Bowe and Craig Davis went 23rd and 30th in the 2007 draft.

Thomas is the ninth LSU wide receiver to be selected in the first round of the draft’s modern era (since 1994).

The 6-foot-4 Thomas burst onto the scene in 2023, when he led all FBS players with 17 receiving touchdowns.

Prior to the season, Thomas had contributed 720 yards and 7 touchdowns on 59 total receptions during his first 2 years with the program. He played right away as a true freshman, and drew 15 combined starts over his first 2 years, but he was playing in more of a secondary role.

With Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Jayden Daniels spreading the love around, Thomas and Nabers had plenty of room to shine together in 2023.

Thomas caught 68 balls for 1,177 yards and 17 touchdowns. He had 8 receptions of at least 40 yards — only bested by 5 other FBS players.

“Ascending in my eyes,” LSU coach Brian Kelly said of Thomas during an appearance on Good Morning Football Thursday. “This is a guy that is just breaking onto the scene. He won a state championship in basketball, he’s just an incredible athlete who I think is scratching the surface. Tall, athletic. He’s not just a guy that runs nine routes. He can run after the catch, he’s very slippery after he catches the football, he can make people miss, I just think he’s a guy who continues to get better and better.”

On pure talent, Thomas was viewed by some as a potential top-18 player. He has a 6-foot-4 frame and ran a sub-4.4 40 at the NFL Combine. But The Athletic‘s Dane Brugler reported ahead of the draft that some teams had flagged him for medical reasons.

We’ve seen LSU receivers turn into absolute stars in the NFL in recent years, and Thomas could very well be the next to do so.