Expert Opinion: Chad Thomas’ Profile
Chad Thomas was a highly-coveted defensive end coming out of high school and decided to stay close to home to attend Miami University. Thomas had a reserve role for majority of his first two seasons recording just 25 tackles and 2.5 for a loss. The Miami native blew up when he became a starter as a junior with 11 tackles for a loss (37 total) and 4.5 sacks. The production continued into his senior year as he finished with 47 tackles (12.5 for a loss) and 4.5 sacks.
Currently, Thomas is projected as a third-round pick and it seems pretty accurate. He has NFL size (6’6″ 275 lbs), he is athletic and physical. He can become a decent pass rusher with his strength and speed off the edge. Thomas also displays good lateral movement and change of direction when chasing down running backs. The former hurricane has to ability to drop into coverage, too, so he is versatile enough to play in both 3-4 and 4-3 schemes.
The defensive end has what it takes to be a pretty solid NFL player if he gets coached up. He needs to learn how to use his hands more efficiently when trying to shed blocks. He gets eaten up more often than you would like and his run instincts could amuse improvement. Thomas has good athletic ability, but is slow to process the run at times.
40-yard dash: 4.92 seconds
Vertical jump: 29″
Broad jump: 116″
