EDGE, San Diego State
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 267 lbs
Class: rs-Junior
As a three-star recruit in the 2018 class, Thomas received just three offers. A California native, Thomas committed to San Diego State over Wyoming and Navy. After redshirting his freshman season he earned a starting job for the Aztecs. Thomas has been a key part of their defense ever since, earning First Team All-MWC honours in each of his three seasons. He enters the draft after a very impressive 2021 campaign that saw him earn Second Team All-American honours.
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Strengths
Thomas had a tonne of success during his time at San Diego State and a big reason for that was his refined technique. His hands are quick and his placement is very good, showing the ability to consistently get inside the frame of his opponents. Once he establishes control of the block he has the play strength to control and disengage at will. Thomas showcases a wide variety of moves as a pass rusher too, and is capable of varying them up depending on the situation.
He is also excellent at keeping his hands active and employing counters, with a particularly effective inside swim counter. This ability to combo his moves and keep fighting until the end of each play allowed him to become one of the most disruptive pass rushers in college football. His 77 pressures in 2021 were the second most in the country and led all draft-eligible defensive linemen.
Thomas also displays some ability as a run defender. His active hands allow him to quickly deconstruct blocks and helped him to rack up plenty of tackles for loss during his career with the Aztecs. He also has a very good first step that causes plenty of problems for offensive linemen. Thomas has the quickness to cross the face of opponents and play across gaps, or slip through gaps and get into the backfield.
Teams are also going to love Thomas’ versatility. He played up and down the defensive line during his college career, playing everywhere from wide-9 to nose tackle. A majority of his snaps in 2021 actually came between the tackles. He definitely projects best as an edge rusher, but has the ability to kick inside on obvious passing downs. Thomas was also excellent on stunts and twists, another thing that creative defensive coordinators will love.
Weaknesses
One of the main concerns with Thomas’ game is his inability to consistently win around the edge with speed. Whilst he has good first step quickness, he does struggle to actually test the depth of his opponents’ pass sets. This showed up against lower level competition in the Mountain West and is only like to become more obvious at the next level.
There will also be worries about whether he has sufficient play strength to translate his current role to the NFL. Thomas had a tonne of success playing between the tackles in college, but he doesn’t display the play strength to win there consistently at the next level. He did have issues anchoring against the run and needs to add more power to his game to fully maximise his versatility.
Bottom Line
Thomas might not possess elite speed or strength, but his refined technique and ability to be a playmaker against the run should see him become a solid starter at the next level. His versatility makes him ideally suited for a defense that get creative with their front and utilise plenty of stunts and blitzes.
Ideal role: 4-3 defensive end
Round projection: 2nd round
