04-29-2016, 12:57 PM
(04-29-2016, 12:54 PM)Lawless_1 Wrote: Mike Thomas - Southern Miss
STRENGTHS Plays like his hair is on fire. Posted eye-opening production in 2015. Motor is always in the red and brings enthusiasm and urgency to the field. Has good size, but plays even bigger. Able to play through contact and still make difficult, contested catches. Confidence took off as season progressed. Doesn't have blazing speed but hit explosive play after explosive play. Good leaper with great body control to win high percentage of 50-50 balls. Good hand fighter down the sideline. Will drain every yard he can get out of every catch.
WEAKNESSES Average athlete inside first 10 yards. Hip tightness limits sink into and out of breaks and routes can be very raw. JUCO transfer who played just two years of FBS football. Easy target to tag for press corners. Needs to vary approach and tempo of press release. Drop rate of 10.1 percent due to focus issues. Struggles creating separation at top of his routes versus tight man coverage. Needs more commitment as run blocker.
DRAFT PROJECTION Rounds 6 or 7
SOURCES TELL US "You want to write him off when you start watching the tape and then he just starts outworking everyone for the big plays." -- NFL South scout
BOTTOM LINE While much of Thomas' production was churned out against middling competition, it is worth noting that he had at least one touchdown catch over his last 10 games including two touchdowns and 190 receiving yards in his bowl game against Washington. Thomas could face a struggle to get open against NFL press coverage, but his desire and competitiveness will make following his run in camp an interesting one.
Don't let NFL.com skew you with that draft prediction. This kid goes tonight somewhere. Joe Goodberry has him rated a second round pick.
https://youtu.be/L5hq-x4_5UA
Love the effort this dude plays with. Would be happy with him today as well. Nice post Lawless.
