Jets Doing Homework on Basketball Star With Tee Higgins Upside

Getty Former LSU wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr trying to make a play during a college football game.

The New York Jets have done “a lot of work” on LSU wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr, per Dane Brugler of The Athletic.

“Yeah it should be considered,” Brugler explained on “The Can’t Wait Podcast” that Thomas is 100% in the conversation for the Jets at the No. 10 overall pick in the first round. “There have been teams in the top 10 that have brought him in for 30 visits.”

Brugler added that he is “bullish” on Thomas as a prospect and said he “belongs somewhere in the top half of the round one. If the Jets look at him at [pick] 10, I don’t think that’s crazy.”

‘The #Jets have done a lot of work on Brian Thomas [Jr],’ @dpbrugler revealed to @ZackBlatt. 👀

Dane Brugler explained that the former LSU WR ran a limited route tree in college, ‘you watch his film & it’s a lot of go’s, a lot of slant’s, they didn’t really let him blossom as a…

In “The Beast”, Brugler explained that BTJ, “projects as a quality NFL starter with the upside of Tee Higgins.” Thomas was graded as a first-round prospect by Brugler.

An Extremely Likely Option for the Jets in the NFL Draft

It’s unclear if any of the big three wide receivers in this class will still be on the board come pick No. 10.

Marvin Harrison Jr of Ohio State, Malik Nabers of LSU, and Rome Odunze of Washington could all hear their names called within the first nine picks of the draft.

One name that is expected to be available at pick No. 10 is Thomas.

BTJ, 21, is a former high-level basketball star. During his high school career, he won a state championship, the MVP trophy in the finals, and many speculated that his athletic future would keep him in that sport. He even received a basketball offer from Texas A&M as a freshman, Brugler wrote in “The Beast”, but football “was his first love.”

Thomas is wildly talented and put up ridiculous numbers at the NFL Combine. In Indianapolis, the former LSU star measured in at 6-foot-3 and tipped the scales at 209 pounds.

NFL draft analyst Lance Zierlein said he battles “occasional focus drops.” Zierlein also added that he lacks salesmanship in his route running.

The Jets Truth Shall Set You Free

“The sense I get is that the theme will continue: all in for ’24. They’ve got a 40-year-old quarterback, a GM & a coach on the hot seat, & I think they are going to deal with tomorrow… tomorrow,” Rich Cimini of ESPN explained on “The Flight Deck Podcast.” “That’s why I think [the Jets] will end up with a pass catcher at [pick] 10. Someone who can make an immediate impact. That could be Brock Bowers, the tight end from Georgia, or it could be one of those 3 receivers if [Marvin] Harrison, [Malik] Nabers, or [Rome] Odunze fall to [pick] 10, I think the Jets would take him over Bowers.”

The debate on Jets’ Twitter has been offensive line or wide receiver. Cimini believes if things play out as planned, it’ll be pass catcher for the Jets in the first round.

If Gang Green is truly all in, that strategy makes sense. However, if Thomas is the lone remaining wideout, the Jets have to be careful.

Several analysts have described Thomas to me as an intriguing piece of clay. If he gets in the hands of the right wide receivers coach he could be a star.

While the Jets have a very respectable new wide receiver coach in Shawn Jefferson, the overall offensive coaching staff is somewhat lackluster. The Jets need win-now pieces, not players that need to be sculpted.