GENERAL MANAGER TRENT BAALKE AND HEAD COACH DOUG PEDERSON
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
THURSDAY, APRIL 25, 2024
BAALKE: (On how much drafting WR Brian Thomas Jr. could improve the offense) “I think that’s a better
question for Coach, but I think when you go into the draft, you try to identify players that can help you
on either side of the ball. Brian is a young man, I think he had 22 targets over 20-plus yards and scored
15 touchdowns on those. He’s an explosive athlete, he can help open up the field a little bit. He’s
certainly a younger receiver for Trevor [QB Trevor Lawrence] to build around and our offense to build
around. There were a lot of positives to the pick, a lot of time and energy went into it. I feel good about
where we’re at.”
PEDERSON: (On hoping WR Brian Thomas Jr. adds juice to the offense) “Well yeah, that’s the idea when
you select good players in the draft. You’re adding a skilled receiver, you’re adding depth, you’re adding a
guy that has an element of speed that we haven’t had probably since Calvin [WR Calvin Ridley] last year.
Once we get him in here too, and really get our hands on him, get him into the playbook in a couple of
weeks and really see how we can use him. I think it can only be a great asset for us on offense to not
only open up the field, but I think open up some other elements of the offense.”
PEDERSON: (On the size of WR Brian Thomas Jr.) “Great size, great size. He’s big, tall, has a really good
route tree and can run all of the routes. Definitely, as you’ve seen, he can take the top off. He’s going to
see some different coverages too, he’s going to see a little bit better secondary guys. The SEC has good
coverage guys, but he was going to see more defenses, different defenses. Those are things, as coaches,
we will scheme up for him.”
BAALKE: (On the thought process of trading back) “You go into it and I’ve always said you listen to the
board. When we were sitting around pick 15 and 16, we started getting some calls. The board looked
good, we were in good shape with the needs that we had and the players we had targeted, taking a look
at the teams that were between 17 and 23, what their needs were. We just felt the board was solid, it
was well worth picking up three extra picks. Really, getting one of the players that we coveted in the
draft.”
BAALKE: (On how big of a priority drafting a receiver was) “We don’t look at it as far as needs until we
get to this stage later in the process. We just try to stack the board as natural as we can, regardless of
what our needs are. We don’t try to over-inflate value of a player just because it’s a position of need. You
just recognize if you’re going to take a need and it’s not the value that some of the other players are that
you’re reaching for. This was a situation, like I said, the board really looked good for us at 16. We kind of
knew what Seattle was going to do, we had a good beat on where they were leaning. When we got the
call to move back to 23, he [Head Coach Doug Pederson] looked at me, I looked at him, we said, ‘Yeah,
let’s do it.’ It was kind of like last year.”
PEDERSON: (On looking for a player with big stretches downfield) “Those are all things that I think we’ll
figure out when we get him here, too. What we’ve seen on film, I think that’s the reality of what he can
do. As soon as we get him in here and get him in our system, it’s going to be a different offense than he
had at LSU. He’s going to be running some different routes that will utilize his speed and athleticism. I
think it’s early to tell, but at the same time, we’re excited to get him in here in a couple of weeks and get
him working with the offense and with Trevor [QB Trevor Lawrence].”
BAALKE: (On who was potentially going to be the pick at 17) “He [WR Brian Thomas Jr.] was going to be
the pick at 17. Like we said, there were other players involved and we just felt the way the board looked
and where the needs were, the teams in between us, we felt we had a chance. There’s risk, there’s
reward. You make the move back, but we felt we were going to get a really good football player that we
had high on our board with the move back. Fortunate that Brian was still there.”
BAALKE: (On getting the ideal players in the first round after trading back the last two years) “I don’t
know what the other 31 teams look at. I have no idea. We had a group of players that we were really
coveting. It wasn’t just one guy, but he’s certainly a guy that we had targeted for a while. You let the
board speak and you follow your gut.”
BAALKE: (On determining they wanted WR Brian Thomas Jr. during the Top 30 visit) “Well, I think
throughout the process, coach has been a big supporter from day one when he put on the film. He’s a
guy that our scouts identified early in the process. This isn’t a guy that climbed up the board late, he’s
always been somebody that we had a lot of appreciation for his skillset. Like coach mentioned earlier,
he’s a guy that brings a skillset that we haven’t necessarily had to the level that he brings in terms of he’s
6’027”, 209 pounds and he runs a sub 4.4, mid 4.3. He’s got the production to back it up. I think 22
targets over 20 yards and 15 of them ended up in touchdowns and a 17-plus average. We’re just looking
forward to getting him in here, getting our hands on him and going to work.”
PEDERSON: (On emphasis of building an offense around QB Trevor Lawrence) “I think it’s important.
You’re trying to always improve every year and we went out through free agency of our own players, and
then of course, outside of the building we’ve talked about this. Then, tonight is another step. We’ve got
two more days, but I think the more opportunities and the more weapons you can surround your
quarterback with, I think the better your chances are going to be. Now, we have to coach them and we
have to play and there’s a lot of things that go into that. But it does help your chances.”
BAALKE: (On if there was any consideration in trading up for a top receiver) “Yeah, we had a good beat
on where those guys were going to go, and they pretty much went where we felt like they were going to
go. The price to move up into that territory would’ve been really steep. It wasn’t an option, if one of
them would’ve slipped a little further, maybe you do it. We just didn’t feel they were going to get into
our range and they didn’t get into our range.”
BAALKE: (On value of getting the traded picks in 2025) “That I don’t know, I’ll work on next year’s draft in
about a week. You take what they give you, there wasn’t an option for this year’s picks. We did get one
extra pick in this year, a fifth-round pick. I believe it’s 167, so late in the fifth round. The value of those
picks next year are solid. It’s a third-round pick, it’s a top 100 player. The other one is going to be in the
top 120. Those are good football players. The value is good for us.”
BAALKE: (On if he would’ve still identified WR Brian Thomas Jr. as one of their top players if WR Calvin
Ridley returned to Jacksonville) “Probably not, not with that pick.”
BAALKE: (On if he looks at a trade like he made with the Minnesota and think’s he is “fleecing” them)
“No, I think it was a fair trade. I have a lot of respect for Kwesi [Vikings General Manager Kwesi Adofo-
Mensaf] and he’s one of the bright minds in this business when it comes to numbers and analytics and
everything else. He’s not going to get fleeced. He did a good job. They got the player they wanted and
they gave us what they were willing to give up. It’s not about fleecing one another. No one is going to get
one over on another one, it’s just what are they willing to give and are you willing to accept it? Its as
simple as that.”
BAALKE: (On if he thought the draft board fell his way) “Well, I’m not going to get into how the board fell
for us because it kind of tips our hand on what players we were looking at and how we built our board so
there’s no value in saying that. There’s a lot of good football players that went off the board. A lot of
guys that we had very good value on. No real surprises. All the players that got picked I think were
deserving of getting picked. Again, it only takes one team to fall in love with a player so you’ve got to
build the board based on what you believe. There’s 32 teams and 32 boards out there, none of them are
identical and a lot of times not even close.”
BAALKE: (On WR Brian Thomas Jr. having the fastest flying 20 time at the combine) “I mean, Ethan
Waugh our assistant general manager was sitting down by the 40’s and one of the first things he said
when he came back is ‘wow can that guy run, power out of the blocks’. You can feel those guys that run
like that. So, we pay a lot of attention to a lot of the analytics. We crunch the numbers, I think we got
one of the best, if not the best group of people that just churn the numbers and give us great insight into
the physical ability of these players. Whether it’s in-game stuff or combine metrics or whatever. So, you
pay attention to everything.”
BAALKE: (On if WR Brian Thomas Jr. fits into the culture the Jaguars are trying to build) “I think we’ve
said since we’ve got together that’s important to us. We want guys that are available, we want guys that
take care of themselves, prepare hard for the game, take care of the people in the community, just good
people you know? He’s certainly one of those.”
BAALKE: (On if he worked to get back into the first round) “We may have.”
BAALKE: (On what team said no to getting back into the first round) “We got here at the end of the draft
so we may have. Read into that what you want.”
PEDERSON: (On how fast the six quarterbacks were selected) “Well, you’re exactly right it is the world
we live in. We’re in a passing league and all of these guys are very talented and can throw the football,
they’ve had great college careers. They’ve had a lot of snaps. These are guys that have had a lot of
football, they’ve played a ton of football so these aren’t guys that are just one-hit wonder type guys.
There’s an investment there so, it’s pretty impressive that this amount of QBs went as early as they did
but again, it’s the league that we’re in and we’ll see how everything plays out.”
BAALKE: (On if he anticipated quarterbacks going that early) “We felt there was going to be a good
number, I can’t say we felt there would be six that went that high but we certainly felt it was a good
class, good group of guys. You’re never surprised when a quarterback comes off the board because if you
don’t have one, you need one and you’ve got to go get one because you can’t play the game without
one.”
BAALKE: (On QB Trevor Lawrence talked to WR Brian Thomas Jr. beforehand) “No.”
WIDE RECEIVER BRIAN THOMAS JR.
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
THURSDAY, APRIL 25, 2024
(On his expectations and interactions with the Jaguars prior to being drafted) “I knew that it was a
chance when I went on my Top 30 visit, I was pretty confident after I left. I knew that there was a chance
that I could get selected by the Jaguars, but I didn’t know for sure that they were going to pick me or
not.”
(On who is with him at the draft) “I got my mom, my dad, my cousin, my agent is here, another cousin
and his wife, so I got all of them here with me. We’re just all excited, ready to get to Jacksonville and get
going.”
(On thoughts on playing with QB Trevor Lawrence) “I’m happy, I’m ready to get going. Trevor is a great
quarterback and just ready to get there, put in the work and see what happens from there.”
(On the process of waiting to hear his name called) “Just got to be patient, wait until your name is called.
Put your faith in God and knowing that he’s going to put you in the right position. So, I would say I just
put my faith in God and knowing that he didn’t bring me here for no reason, he’s going to put me in the
right position.”
(On his ability to bring big plays to an offense) “Just my ability to use my speed, be able to get open,
create space on defenders. I would say that’s just a big role in how I play and I’m just happy to be a part
of the Jacksonville Jaguars, and just ready to get going.”
(On thoughts of the receiver room in Jacksonville) “Yeah, it’s a stacked room. Just want to get in there,
get to work, learn from the guys and be the best I can be. Going in, working hard, doing the things that I
can do best, just go up there, put in the work and see where it takes me.”
(On how much he knew about Head Coach Doug Pederson prior to being drafted) “I didn’t really know
too much about him before all of this stuff or whatever. Ever since I met him, good vibes between me
and him. Just happy to be a part of the organization, they got a great organization. Hopefully come out
this season and have a great season this year.”
(On if the team told him how he could fit into the offense) “We talked a little bit about it, but we didn’t
go too in depth.”
(On if he was always an NFL fan and what he knew about the Jaguars) “I started playing football when I
was six, and I played all the way up until my freshman year of high school. I sat out my freshman year,
then I played my sophomore, junior and senior. I would say I really fell in love with football the day I
started playing. It was always my first love, just me being able to compete on the football field and now
in the NFL, just being able to compete at the highest level has always been a goal of mine.”
(On if he’s an NFL or college football fan) “I was a big NFL fan growing up, I would say I was a big NFL
fan.”
(On who his favorite receivers were growing up) “Growing up, my favorite wide receiver would have to
be Julio Jones, just growing up and watching him do the things that he can do. I was kind of bigger, so I
was trying to model my game after somebody who had my body type. I would say Julio Jones, he was my
favorite player, or one of my favorite players; my favorite wide receiver growing up.”
