Chiefnj2
01-15-2010, 01:23 PM
http://www.mockingthedraft.com/2010/1/14/1251979/earl-thomas-nfl-draft-scouting
5’10, 197 pounds | Safety | Texas
Agility/Hips: Shows smooth, fluid hips in his backpedal. Is a quick-twitch athlete, which would help him if a team decides to use him at cornerback. Exceptional short-area quickness. Can turn his hips
Ball Skills: Thomas has perhaps the best ball skills of any defensive back in this year’s class – Eric Berry included. Thomas is a natural with the ball in the air. He catches the ball like a wide receiver and properly carries the ball. Intercepted eight passes as a sophomore, and returned two for touchdowns.
Body Control: Great high-point agility. Times his leaps really well and reportedly has a good vertical. Maintains his balance while changing direction.
Instincts: Possesses elite recognition skills – both against the pass and sniffing out the run. When he plays back in coverage, Thomas does an excellent job of reading the quarterback’s eyes.
Pass Coverage: Thomas has the skills to be a starting cornerback in the NFL. He stays low in his backpedal and doesn’t take false steps in his break. Adept playing in zone. Has the quickness and playing intelligence to give up a cushion and breaking back on the play. Locates the ball exceptionally well, especially when it’s in the air.
Pursuit: Although Thomas gives up a good amount of size, he doesn’t mind taking on large blockers. Has flawless lateral pursuit.
Run Support: Gives a good effort supporting the run, but doesn’t have the size to always be a factor. Breaks on the ball really well. Not much more than a help player against the inside run. Doesn’t have the size to shoot through gaps in the middle and can be manhandled by guards and centers. Does a nice job of working the outside run.
Size: Listed by Texas at 5-foot-10 and 197 pounds, Thomas has average size for the position. His legs are strong throughout, so if he gets bigger he may not face a loss of quickness or speed. Where Thomas needs to get much stronger is in his upper body. He’s tight-skinned, but doesn’t have enough power to take on strong running backs in the open field.
Speed: Has very good straight-line speed to stay with receivers on deep routes. With his speed, Thomas can afford to play off tight ends which allows him to diagnose the play. Tackling: Solid contact tackler. Solid wrap-up tackler in the open space and will lower his shoulder and pop the ball carrier. In traffic and near the line of scrimmage, Thomas will sometimes become an arm tackler and miss. When he shows good technique, Thomas shows he can lower his pads and run through receivers.
Final word: Thomas had nothing short of a phenomenal season. He was second on Texas with 71 total tackles. He intercepted eight passes and totaled 16 pass breakups and 24 passes defended. Add to those numbers five tackles for a loss and you have one of the best seasons for a defensive back ever.
So when Thomas, a redshirt sophomore, announced he was entering the 2010 NFL Draft, it was no surprise. He was a finalist for the Jim Thorpe Award, which is given to the nation’s top defensive back. Several publications named him a first-team All-American and first-team All-Big-12 member.
Thomas started every game he played at Texas, 27 in total. Some might consider him as inexperienced, but Thomas has shown he has the football acumen to play at the next level. Played safety in college, but some teams might consider him a cornerback. His ball skills, agility and speed would say as much
http://www.draftboardinsider.com/cgi-bin/prospect.cgi?id=1089
Scouting Report: Thomas has a solid build, lean with a small waist and long limbs. He plays a FS at Texas but is asked to do a little of everything. And trust me, he does it all. Only a redshirt sophomore but his coverage skills are very good. He has great anticipation and does an excellent job of reading and diagnosing the making the big play on the ball. He's one of the most physical safetys in the draft, and has no qualms about sacrificing his body for a play. Some think that he's better suited to play a very physical CB in the NFL, to maximize his coverage skills, and try and keep his body in tact. The only real negatives to Thomas' game are the fact that he plays more physical than his frame will hold and it could shorten his NFL career and that he does at times play a little out of control and forgets his assignments.
Draft Status: Thomas is only a redshirt sophomore, but if the Longhorns win a national title, there's a real chance he makes the jump to the NFL. If he did, he'd be no worse than the 2nd safety off the board and probably the 3rd defensive back which means he's probably a top 15 pick. For a player so young, but so talented all that can happen at this point is to have his game get picked apart and hurt his stock. He's not going to get any bigger or any faster or any stronger, and his skills set is what it is.
Final Analysis: Love, love love what Thomas brings to the table. He reminds me a ton of Joe Haden only playing safety. He's got good size for CB, a little undersized for a safety as physical as he is. But he's got great strength both in coverage and in run support, he runs very well, is a great leaper, and has soft hands. He can blitz when asked to, and literally anchors the back 4 of the Longhorn defense. No matter what happens for the Longhorns this year, Thomas would be foolish to return to school when his stock really can't get much higher.
Reminds me of: Troy Polamalu, S Pittsburgh Steelers-Both a little undersized, super aggressive, and able to do anything on the football field. Thomas can certainly grow into the kind of impact player Polamalu is, given the right scheme and coaching. All the physical tools are there.
5’10, 197 pounds | Safety | Texas
Agility/Hips: Shows smooth, fluid hips in his backpedal. Is a quick-twitch athlete, which would help him if a team decides to use him at cornerback. Exceptional short-area quickness. Can turn his hips
Ball Skills: Thomas has perhaps the best ball skills of any defensive back in this year’s class – Eric Berry included. Thomas is a natural with the ball in the air. He catches the ball like a wide receiver and properly carries the ball. Intercepted eight passes as a sophomore, and returned two for touchdowns.
Body Control: Great high-point agility. Times his leaps really well and reportedly has a good vertical. Maintains his balance while changing direction.
Instincts: Possesses elite recognition skills – both against the pass and sniffing out the run. When he plays back in coverage, Thomas does an excellent job of reading the quarterback’s eyes.
Pass Coverage: Thomas has the skills to be a starting cornerback in the NFL. He stays low in his backpedal and doesn’t take false steps in his break. Adept playing in zone. Has the quickness and playing intelligence to give up a cushion and breaking back on the play. Locates the ball exceptionally well, especially when it’s in the air.
Pursuit: Although Thomas gives up a good amount of size, he doesn’t mind taking on large blockers. Has flawless lateral pursuit.
Run Support: Gives a good effort supporting the run, but doesn’t have the size to always be a factor. Breaks on the ball really well. Not much more than a help player against the inside run. Doesn’t have the size to shoot through gaps in the middle and can be manhandled by guards and centers. Does a nice job of working the outside run.
Size: Listed by Texas at 5-foot-10 and 197 pounds, Thomas has average size for the position. His legs are strong throughout, so if he gets bigger he may not face a loss of quickness or speed. Where Thomas needs to get much stronger is in his upper body. He’s tight-skinned, but doesn’t have enough power to take on strong running backs in the open field.
Speed: Has very good straight-line speed to stay with receivers on deep routes. With his speed, Thomas can afford to play off tight ends which allows him to diagnose the play. Tackling: Solid contact tackler. Solid wrap-up tackler in the open space and will lower his shoulder and pop the ball carrier. In traffic and near the line of scrimmage, Thomas will sometimes become an arm tackler and miss. When he shows good technique, Thomas shows he can lower his pads and run through receivers.
Final word: Thomas had nothing short of a phenomenal season. He was second on Texas with 71 total tackles. He intercepted eight passes and totaled 16 pass breakups and 24 passes defended. Add to those numbers five tackles for a loss and you have one of the best seasons for a defensive back ever.
So when Thomas, a redshirt sophomore, announced he was entering the 2010 NFL Draft, it was no surprise. He was a finalist for the Jim Thorpe Award, which is given to the nation’s top defensive back. Several publications named him a first-team All-American and first-team All-Big-12 member.
Thomas started every game he played at Texas, 27 in total. Some might consider him as inexperienced, but Thomas has shown he has the football acumen to play at the next level. Played safety in college, but some teams might consider him a cornerback. His ball skills, agility and speed would say as much
http://www.draftboardinsider.com/cgi-bin/prospect.cgi?id=1089
Scouting Report: Thomas has a solid build, lean with a small waist and long limbs. He plays a FS at Texas but is asked to do a little of everything. And trust me, he does it all. Only a redshirt sophomore but his coverage skills are very good. He has great anticipation and does an excellent job of reading and diagnosing the making the big play on the ball. He's one of the most physical safetys in the draft, and has no qualms about sacrificing his body for a play. Some think that he's better suited to play a very physical CB in the NFL, to maximize his coverage skills, and try and keep his body in tact. The only real negatives to Thomas' game are the fact that he plays more physical than his frame will hold and it could shorten his NFL career and that he does at times play a little out of control and forgets his assignments.
Draft Status: Thomas is only a redshirt sophomore, but if the Longhorns win a national title, there's a real chance he makes the jump to the NFL. If he did, he'd be no worse than the 2nd safety off the board and probably the 3rd defensive back which means he's probably a top 15 pick. For a player so young, but so talented all that can happen at this point is to have his game get picked apart and hurt his stock. He's not going to get any bigger or any faster or any stronger, and his skills set is what it is.
Final Analysis: Love, love love what Thomas brings to the table. He reminds me a ton of Joe Haden only playing safety. He's got good size for CB, a little undersized for a safety as physical as he is. But he's got great strength both in coverage and in run support, he runs very well, is a great leaper, and has soft hands. He can blitz when asked to, and literally anchors the back 4 of the Longhorn defense. No matter what happens for the Longhorns this year, Thomas would be foolish to return to school when his stock really can't get much higher.
Reminds me of: Troy Polamalu, S Pittsburgh Steelers-Both a little undersized, super aggressive, and able to do anything on the football field. Thomas can certainly grow into the kind of impact player Polamalu is, given the right scheme and coaching. All the physical tools are there.