Every year for the past six years ESPN has released its list of Top 10 players at each position. For whatever reason, they do it for all positions sans kickers and punters. When the wide receiver list was released on Wednesday, one notable Jacksonville Jaguars‘ wideout was notably absent.
Should Brian Thomas, Jr. have made the Top 10?
Jay Fowler didn’t think so, as his list of “Execs, coaches, scouts rank the NFL’s top 10 WRs for 2025” has Thomas as an honorable mention.
“He’ll be on the list by next year,” an AFC executive said. “He can do it all. He took the league by storm last year. He’s got size and can win in all areas of the field. There’s not one thing you can’t do with him. He can play outside or in the slot and dominate.”
When you say it like that it sounds like he should have made the list.
Thomas certainly did his best in 2024 when he caught 87 balls for 1,282 and 10 touchdowns during his rookie season. And don’t forget, he only had 10 games of quarterback Trevor Lawrence and he wasn’t great anyway.
What are the criteria to make the list?
As the title implies, Fowler created his rankings with input from NFL coaches, scouts and executives from around the league. So, it’s not just a list based on 2025 fantasy football predictions.
“A reminder of the rankings process: Voters gave us their best 10 players at a position, then we compiled the results and ranked candidates based on number of top-10 votes, composite average and dozens of interviews, with research and film study help from ESPN NFL analyst Matt Bowen,” Fowler explains.
“In total, more than 70 voters submitted a ballot on at least one position, and in many cases all positions. Additional voting and follow-up calls with those surveyed helped us break any ties.”
Malik Nabers was a rookie too, how was he No. 7?
Some might argue that Thomas was snubbed because he was just a rookie last season. Fine, but that wouldn’t explain how New York Giants WR Malik Nabers showed up at No. 7. Sports Illustrated’s Carlos Sanchez doesn’t think that’s fair.
“Brian Thomas Jr. and Malik Nabers were both rookies in 2024,” Sanchez writes. “The former was more dominant last year, regardless of the metric you want to use, but only the latter made the top 10.
“Sure, Nabers had more catches, but Thomas had a better average per reception and more total touchdowns than his New York Giants counterpart. You cannot make the argument that Nabers thrived in spite of his team’s subpar quarterback situation, but Thomas didn’t exactly have stability behind center, catching passes from Mac Jones for nearly half the season.”
The point is well taken. Nabers put up good numbers for the Giants last year and had more catches than Thomas. His full stat line was a whopping 109 catches for 1,204 yards and seven touchdowns. Keep in mind, Nabers was the only remote threat of a wide receiver on the entire roster. As his catch total would imply, if anyone was getting the ball thrown to him it was Nabers.
Regardless, if both Thomas and Nabers continue on this trajectory both will make the Top 10 next year. If you were the Jaguars, would you trade Thomas for Nabers straight up? Tell us in the comments.
Jacksonville Jaguars Wide Receiver Gets Snubbed