Puka Nacua had a sensational rookie season. The former fifth round draft pick finished the year with 105 catches, 1,486 yards, and 6 touchdowns. The Cleveland Browns, and their fans, are hoping they drafted this year's version of Nacua.
Most people didn't know what to think when the Browns drafted Jamari Thrash this year in the fifth round. Thrash did have a huge supporter in former wide receiver Steve Smith.
Part of the reason for the mixed bag of feelings was that Thrash had broken his hand at Louisville and his production dropped even though he kept playing. Thrash started to drop the ball more, understandably so. However, this left draft experts unsure if this was going to be a consistent issue or just due to his injury.
A huge positive that he was able to provide was positional versatility. Thrash was able to excel lining up in the slot and on the outside. No matter where he was lined up, he was able to make big plays happen.
Thrash is able to turn a simple catch underneath into a big play with his ability to make a man miss. He has also shown the ability to track the ball and beat his man deep in coverage. Thrash has also shown that he can run routes extraordinarily well.
As a pure route runner, Louisville's Jamari Thrash is among best in 2024 WR class. @Jamari_Thrash had his pro-day yesterday and scouts telling us he looked great in position drills.
Here's one of my favorite routes from @seniorbowl week...nasty hesitation skip-step. 😳… pic.twitter.com/Gg2A0czMz2— Jim Nagy (@JimNagy_SB) March 27, 2024
Now that people have seen Thrash in the preseason, the hype is becoming real, leading the Browns in receiving this preseason. National media are starting to notice and think the Browns found a potential steal of the draft.
There were several reasons for why Nacua was able to develop into an amazing receiver and be as productive as he was. One of the main reasons was the lack of depth in front of him. His main competition for targets, besides Cooper Kupp, were Van Jefferson and Tutu Atwell, a fellow Louisville Cardinal.
While Thrash may not be able to get the amount of targets that Nacua got, he is still capable of making an impact on this team. The Browns have Elijah Moore and Cedric Tillman battling for the third receiver spot, but Thrash will have every opportunity to seize the spot this year.
