***The De'Anthony Thomas Thread***

[Dante84]

He's wearing #13 this year



vs. Stanford

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vs. Tennessee

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Combine Workout - 4.50 40 time

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[Easy 6]

Originally Posted by Chiefnj2

It was supposedly one of the deepest drafts in history at WR. There was no better time to grab a receiver.

And if we can continue to score 30+ per game, no one will be able to bitch.

[OldSchool]

Originally Posted by Mr. Laz

So is this guy a RB gadget or a WR gadget in the NFL?

That dumbass Haley screwed around with McCluster as a RB/Gadget and wasted a year or 2 with it.

Biggest difference, IMO, is that Reid actually knows what to do with Thomas. He's not going to take years to figure stuff out like Haley did.

[OldSchool]

Thomas has as much potential as Tavon Austin as a slot weapon in this league. If you watched Thomas play at all, you would see that he's a damn good receiver.

He has great concentration and, despite his small hands, can consistently snatch the ball out of the air away from his body. DAT, because of his natural abilities, is more than capable of getting open at the NFL level with more work there in training camp. He's not going to come down with every contested catch but he won't have to do that with the kind of separation that he's capable of creating with his quickness and explosiveness.

Reid is going to work magic with Thomas and Thomas is going to save us a roster spot because he can be an emergency RB as well as a slot WR.

[penchief]

Holy crap. Just watched that 32 minute video. Knew of him but hadn't seen him play. How did this guy last until the end of the fourth round?

Dude is first and foremost a football player. He runs like an old school tailback and catches like a polished receiver.

He appears to be proficient running inside and outside, just like Charles. His cuts are ridiculous and amazing how efficient they are. He's always moving forward and picking up positive yards. His acceleration shooting through a crease is eye-popping.

He breaks a ton of leg tackles and uses his blockers as well as anyone I've seen. It's obvious he's a really smart runner with the ball in his hands. If you block for this guy he's going to exploit the slightest of openings.

I encourage anyone who has a doubt about how good this kid is to just watch that 32 minute video. It made a believer out of me. I can't wait to see how Andy uses him and what he will mean to the offense.

[OldSchool]

Originally Posted by penchief

Holy crap. Just watched that 32 minute video. Knew of him but hadn't seen him play. How did this guy last until the end of the fourth round?

Dude is first and foremost a football player. He runs like an old school tailback and catches like a polished receiver.

He appears to be proficient running inside and outside, just like Charles. His cuts are ridiculous and amazing how efficient they are. He's always moving forward and picking up positive yards. His acceleration shooting through a crease is eye-popping.

He breaks a ton of leg tackles and uses his blockers as well as anyone I've seen. It's obvious he's a really smart runner with the ball in his hands. If you block for this guy he's going to exploit the slightest of openings.

I encourage anyone who has a doubt about how good this kid is to just watch that 32 minute video. It made a believer out of me. I can't wait to see how Andy uses him and what he will mean to the offense.

Yup, he's as explosive as anyone in this league and has great football instincts and ability on top of that. He dropped to the 4th because he was banged up early in 2013 and only came back in limited capacity once he was healthy because Oregon had already moved on.

He was also never the full time starter in Oregon. While this can be seen as a positive in that he doesn't have much tread on his wheels. Oregon has always had a ton of weapons.

[penchief]

Originally Posted by OldSchool

Yup, he's as explosive as anyone in this league and has great football instincts and ability on top of that. He dropped to the 4th because he was banged up early in 2013 and only came back in limited capacity once he was healthy because Oregon had already moved on.

He was also never the full time starter in Oregon. While this can be seen as a positive in that he doesn't have much tread on his wheels. Oregon has always had a ton of weapons.

After watching that video I have no problem calling him a receiver. We drafted an explosive slot receiver with a huge upside, IMO.

[OldSchool]

Originally Posted by penchief

After watching that video I have no problem calling him a receiver. We drafted an explosive slot receiver with a huge upside, IMO.

Agreed. That was another side to the slide. Had Thomas spent more time as a WR than he did as a RB, he would be a much higher pick. Really untapped potential, IMO. He has as much upside as any slot WR in this draft. I'd compare him to Tavon Austin except Reid will actually know how to use DAT whereas St. Louis had no idea what to do with Thomas.

[kcchiefsus]

I asked this question earlier but I never saw if anybody commented on it or not.

What is it that makes DAT different from guys like Percy Harvin or Randall Cobb? The naysayers are quick to point to Dexter McCluster as somebody who was a tweener and comparable to DAT.

I have no clue what separates any of them, but in my totally uneducated opinion I would think Thomas is just as likely to be a weapon like Cobb or Harvin in the NFL as he is to be like Dexter McCluster. None of them are #1 WR's, but guys like Cobb and Harvin still offer a huge weapon on offense and a lot of versatility. Harvin, Cobb, and McCluster were all 1st or 2nd round picks while we got Thomas in the 4th. If he turns out to be anything close like Harvin and Cobb then it will have been a great value pick.

[OldSchool]

I'm sure it all has to do with his size.

[kcchiefsus]

Originally Posted by OldSchool

I'm sure it all has to do with his size.

Randall Cobb - 5'10" 192
Percy Harvin - 5'11" 184
Tavon Austin - 5'8" 176
De'Anthony Thomas - 5'9" 174

I don't think that should be a problem. Relative to their heights DAT isn't really that much smaller than any of these other guys. Sure he's short but I really don't think that matters too much for slot receivers. They aren't the guys who you throw jump balls to. They find holes in the zone or use their speed and route running to get open.

Also a fun comparison for me is DAT compared to Brandin Cooks. Sure Cooks put up huge numbers this year as a receiver so it's understandable that he would be drafted higher. But neither one is going to be a #1 WR in the NFL, both are slot type guys most likely. I think Thomas is a hell of a lot better value in the 4th round than Cooks was in round #1.

[crazycoffey]

He seems to grasp the RB concept of waiting for his blockers, that's a good trait.

[mdchiefsfan]

Originally Posted by crazycoffey

He seems to grasp the RB concept of waiting for his blockers, that's a good trait.

This was one of the first things I noticed. Usually quick runners like DAT feel they can out run defenses and have no patience. He has great vision and patience to let things develop. He even leads defenders into his blockers on occasion. Very good to see.

[Simplicity]

Originally Posted by penchief

Holy crap. Just watched that 32 minute video. Knew of him but hadn't seen him play. How did this guy last until the end of the fourth round?

Dude is first and foremost a football player. He runs like an old school tailback and catches like a polished receiver.

He appears to be proficient running inside and outside, just like Charles. His cuts are ridiculous and amazing how efficient they are. He's always moving forward and picking up positive yards. His acceleration shooting through a crease is eye-popping.

He breaks a ton of leg tackles and uses his blockers as well as anyone I've seen. It's obvious he's a really smart runner with the ball in his hands. If you block for this guy he's going to exploit the slightest of openings.

I encourage anyone who has a doubt about how good this kid is to just watch that 32 minute video. It made a believer out of me. I can't wait to see how Andy uses him and what he will mean to the offense.

Agreed. Some people don't really pay attention to the football ability of the players we pick up. They are quick to find a negative comparison that is totally inaccurate that is also backed up with no reasoning besides "size".

[NIUhuskies]

[TEX]

Originally Posted by Simplicity

and to think you guys are even comparing this kid to Dex... He is on another level when it comes to ability and explosiveness. He's a lot more aware of where he is and others are at on the field then Dex... He's better the Dex already and he's only on a rookie contract while Dexter has to be paid a couple mil.

"Better than Dex already?" Wow...The measurables don't really say that. Dex had a stellar college career as well... Dex was / is MUCH stronger, can jump much higher and is only .08 "slower." Im concerned about DAT's strength and durability. Hoping he can get stronger without compromising his speed. Shoot, I'm 5' 10" 180 lbs and can jump just as high and do more reps than he did at the combine...Course I can't run 4.4's or catch as well though...

The real problem that most have with Dex, and rightfully so, was where he was drafted. Had he been drafted in the 4th too, most of the haters would feel differently about him.