Brian Thomas Jr. and Maason Smith won’t have to look far to find a familiar face in Jacksonville.
The former LSU teammates are joining forces again, this time 600 miles away from Baton Rouge, after the Jaguars picked them in consecutive rounds of the NFL draft. Thomas was selected in the first round (23rd overall) as a receiver, while Smith was chosen in the second round (No. 48) as a defensive tackle.
This isn’t the first time the Jaguars have selected college teammates in the opening rounds. It happened before in the team’s history, most recently in 2021.
“Being around him will make my transition easier knowing that I have a brother with me,” Smith said.
Previous combinations of college teammates for the Jaguars have worked out well. For example, Marcedes Lewis and Maurice Jones-Drew, who played together at UCLA, found success after reuniting in Jacksonville.
Similarly, Trevor Lawrence and Travis Etienne, who starred at Clemson, have made significant contributions to the team.
Now, the Jaguars are hoping Thomas and Smith can deliver similarly impressive performances. Lewis holds the team record for receptions by a tight end, while Jones-Drew ranks second in career rushing yards behind Hall of Fame finalist Fred Taylor.
Lawrence has established himself as the team’s franchise quarterback, and Etienne has had two consecutive 1,000-yard seasons.
In the fourth round on Sunday, the Jaguars added another player from LSU to their roster, selecting defensive tackle Jordan Jefferson with the 116th overall pick.
It’s not by chance that Jacksonville picked several players from LSU. Their coach, Doug Pederson, hired former LSU defensive coordinator Matt House as linebackers coach earlier this year.
“They are getting two dominant dogs,” Jefferson said about LSU’s former defensive tackle duo. “They are getting two guys that are going to cause disruption not only in the run game but also the passing game.”
