Browns rookie preview: Wide Receiver Jamari Thrash

After selecting both an offensive and defensive lineman, the Cleveland Browns finally picked a skill position in the fifth round, selecting wide receiver Jamari Thrash out of Louisville.

The 23-year-old played four seasons in his native state at Georgia State before transferring and finishing his career at Louisville. 

Pros

Jamari Thrash is speed. He's quick out of his breaks running routes and blowing by defenders to get himself open 20+ yards down the field. His best year was at Georgia State in 2022. That year Thrash had over 1,100 yards receiving and seven touchdowns. 

His 18.1 yards per catch average was first among NCAA wide receivers with at least 90 targets. Not only is he a flyer, but his route running is something to watch. Every route Thrash runs, he does a great job pushing verticle. This means he puts defenders on their backfoot with every route threatening to go deep, so he creates a solid amount of separation when he breaks for a shorter route.

Thrash is also very good after the catch. His agility is impressive as he can make defenders miss despite being in very close quarters. Not only does he run shifty, but he also runs tough considering his stature.

Defenders tend to bounce off of him with his great contact balance. Thrash doesn't have to be way downfield to get chunk plays. During his most recent at Louisville, he was used a lot in the slot and would be on the receiving end of passes near the line of scrimmage.

According to PFF, 53% of his targets were nine yards or less. The Browns love screens and quick passes so they will benefit from his ability to pick up yards after the catch.

Lastly, Thrash is also very versatile. At Georgia State he was used as an "X" receiver on the perimeter and at Louisville, he was used in the slot catching shorter passes. Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski always preaches versatility with players.

Most coaches look for that in a player, as it gives them more opportunities to see the field. Thrash is currently the sixth man in the wide receiving room so he has to do what he can to maximize his playing time. He will also have to show he can play special teams, which he has already started. This past week at rookie minicamp he won a competition to see who was the fastest "gunner" which is a position on a punt formation. 

Cons

The biggest part missing from Thrash's game is his catching ability. He doesn't have an issue hauling in routine catches but you won't often see him make a spectacular catch outside his body and a small catch radius isn't ideal in the NFL considering how tight passing windows are.

Thrash also has an issue catching while engaged with or around a defender, with a contested catch rate of 36% throughout the five seasons he played in college. His most recent season doesn't do this stat any favors as he only caught three of the 14 contested targets thrown his way. 

An interesting tidbit about Thrash's inclination to drop passes in his last season was he dealt with a wrist injury last season at Louisville. It occurred days before the week 7 matchup against Pittsburgh. To his credit, Thrash still played in that game catching 9 passes for 120 yards.

Thrash gutted through this injury for the rest of the season only missing one game, but it was clear the injury hampered his ability to catch the football as five of his seven drops came after the injury. It's reasonable to think this injury was the reason for his drops, but he still needs to prove he can haul in the tough catches at the NFL level.

Value at Pick-

The Browns still needed to add to the wide receiver room and Thrash fits the bill. Cleveland has been trying to find their deep threat for years and Thrash has the speed to take the top off the defense as well as pick up extra yards after the catch. 

Currently, he's sitting behind five other receivers on the roster but at the very least the competition will breed the best receiver position group possible. It wasn't a matter of if Cleveland was going to draft a receiver but when and in the fifth round, Thrash was the best available. Yes the Browns did miss out on a lot of talented wide receivers 

Overall this pick grades out as a C+. While Thrash's versatility and big play ability bring another dimension to the locker room, three other WRs taken in the fourth round had the same explosive type playability but also had more proven production against better opponents.

Troy Franklin, Javon Baker, and Devontez Walker also have bigger frames as well. It's great the Browns were able to wait and still add a quality talent to the roster, but make no mistake they missed out on a lot of WR talent in this class and not just in the fourth round. 

This is not to knock on Thrash as he has a lot to offer this WR room, especially most recently showing coaches use his speed for special teams in the rookie minicamp. Thrash is an unproven player, but he's also a fifth-round pick so it's not like Cleveland mortgaged the house to select him. He will make this roster if he proves worth on special teams and if he does that as well as add in some explosive plays down the field, this pick will be a hit.

More Browns coverage