Chase Thomas UDFA [MERGED] (2 Viewers)

[Handestam]

No problem, one good thing is it will make preseason exciting. Normally I am bored by 2nd and 3rd string, this year I can't wait.

Your right, this year we have some very interesting 2nd/3rd string players!

 

[Rugger]

I think a scout said it best. Chase Thomas going UD was due to teams trying to hit homeruns late in the draft oppose to finding a guy who will make your roster for 10 years

I think that along with his slower than hoped/expected 40 time as well as how the coaches tried to use him at the Senior Bowl.

They tried to move him to OLBer in a 4-3 and it did not go well for him.

Here is a little blurb about this struggles:

Speaking of looking the part, no linebacker was as physically imposing as Chase Thomas (6-foot-3 1/8, 241 pounds). The outside linebacker practiced and played with a lot of effort, throwing around fellow linebackers in a tackle-shed drill, and that helped make up for a lack of burst and speed that a lot of high-profile outside linebackers tend to have. On Tuesday, Thomas was beaten a number of times on a quasi-race from a two-point stance to a tackling dummy. Ultimately, he seemed a half-step behind receivers in practice and a bit slower than his teammates in drills.

I think the term athlete is very hard to define. There are many people that get caught up in combine measurements. There are guys that can run great 40 times or jump through the ceiling, but are not the quickest or most versatile. Some of them can not track a ball in the air while running. Some of them can not read a play developing quickly enough to beat a ball carrier to the hole. I think some of the biggest attributes to being a good athlete really go unnoticed and get lumped into other attributes. Things like..

Body Control: Can the player bend and contort his body to adjust to how he is being blocked. Can he sequence moves to create an advantage in a short time frame. Can he move his body well while running in one direction and looking back for the ball.

Agility: How well can he change angle in pursuit. Can he sift through traffic while keeping his eyes on the ball.

Read and Reaction: How fast can he diagnose a play and how fast can he coordinate his body to respond. Most people call this "instincts", but I think that is just a fancy word used when a guy is really fast to the ball. Can he anticipate how a player is going to block him and adjust quickly.

Eye Hand Coordination: How fast can he get his hands up to bat a ball down. Can he keep his eyes up while engaging a blocker. Can he make the hard catch compared to the easy catch.


There are many people that say slow = not athletic. Drew Brees is not fast, but he is one of the best athletes on the field. It is funny that people will suddenly dismiss the importance of a 40 time when discussing QBs like Drew. Just for comparison Aaron Rodgers ran a 4.71, the same exact time that Alex Smith ran. Who do you think is the better running QB? That is not to say that a fast 40 time does not add to one athleticism, but it is a very shortsighted and simplistic way to measure ones athletic ability.

When looking at Chase I think he has great body control. He is able to adjust on the move. He also has the ability to keep his eyes on the play while engaged, so he is able to stay active throughout the play. I think he struggles to track the ball while running in another direction which is why he struggled to cover at the senior bowl. When discussing his ability based on his 40 time, I think Harrison is a good example as to why it is not a good baseline to use.

 

[reerunn]

Scott Fujita 2.0.

 

[RaisingTheBar]

because his exceptional play at the collegiate level doesn't quite translate to the NFL level, as indicated by 32 NFL teams passing him up for 7 rounds of the draft

in much the same way a high school player dominates but can't do much of anything at the collegiate level (see Al Woods, Russell Shepard, etc)

The people predicting the draft simply got it wrong with this guy and now it appears to everyone that he was overlooked

not really that hard to understand

Tom Brady's play must not translate to the NFL since 31 teams passed on him 6 times. 31 Teams passed on Colston 7 times. The basis for your argument is horrible. Lance Moore, Pierre Thomas, neither of those bums could translate to the NFL.

 

[stormin mormon]

Tom Brady's play must not translate to the NFL since 31 teams passed on him 6 times. 31 Teams passed on Colston 7 times. The basis for your argument is horrible. Lance Moore, Pierre Thomas, neither of those bums could translate to the NFL.

I hope all you guys making this argument need a financial advisor/broker because I have a load of "under the radar" stocks and funds that need some attention.

 

[RaisingTheBar]

I hope all you guys making this argument need a financial advisor/broker because I have a load of "under the radar" stocks and funds that need some attention.

You are the guy who was complaining that some of us were talking about how we liked our 6th round pick and saw some potential, so I really couldn't care what you think.

 

[sammymvpknight]

Hes Slow.....AND white.

I'm not saying that to be funny but Its the only thing i can think of. His pro day results were better than Jarvis Jones proday. His production was just as good...especially considering that he played on the strong side compared to Jarvis playing weakside OLB. If Thomas would have been a weakside OLB he could have put up similar number to jones.

Then they both would have had the same questions......athleticism vs production. I honestly don't get it. I mean if you compare the two then Jones did it against SEC competition but i mean Jones has medical/character/weight room concerns. While Thomas had none of those.


Shrugs..beat me. So that brings me back to He's slow and white which is stupid.

As an NFL prospect a melanin deficiency is worse than Melanoma.

Not only is he more athletic than Jarvis Jones (who I love by the way)...but he is equally as athletic as Victor Butler and Junior Galette.

But people are still going to compare him to Shanle, Zach thomas and every other white LB that has ever played.

 

[meily]

As an NFL prospect a melanin deficiency is worse than Melanoma.

Not only is he more athletic than Jarvis Jones (who I love by the way)...but he is equally as athletic as Victor Butler and Junior Galette.

But people are still going to compare him to Shanle, Zach thomas and every other white LB that has ever played.

Apparently those are the rules...

 

[stormin mormon]

As an NFL prospect a melanin deficiency is worse than Melanoma.

Not only is he more athletic than Jarvis Jones (who I love by the way)...but he is equally as athletic as Victor Butler and Junior Galette.

But people are still going to compare him to Shanle, Zach thomas and every other white LB that has ever played.

So true.

 

[SoggyBottomBoy]

As an NFL prospect a melanin deficiency is worse than Melanoma.

Not only is he more athletic than Jarvis Jones (who I love by the way)...but he is equally as athletic as Victor Butler and Junior Galette.

But people are still going to compare him to Shanle, Zach thomas and every other white LB that has ever played.

I'd be giddy to have a Zach Thomas sequel.

 

[OzFugitive]

I just want someone on defense who can reliably tackle.
I'll take a little slower...
I'll take a little less explosive...
I'll even take a *gasp* white boy!

Just. tackle.

 

[WhoDat_SB44]

Some of you "Debbie Downers" act like the fans that are happy with the Chase Thomas signing think he is going to start immediately and will be a future hall of famer! NO WAY! We just look at a position of need at 3-4 OLB and that we didn't really address the position with a high draft luck; and hope that we picked up a solid 3-4 OLB that can compete to hopefully make this team. We also look at the mock drafts and player rankings; and see a player that was listed as a 3-5th round prospect being available and we signed him. A lot of us would of been happy and wanted us to draft him, but are even happier to get him without using a draft pick. It's not like we had a ton of 3-4 OLB's on the roster, so he should have a nice shot at making this team. So like many other fans, I do not have to high of expectations on Chase Thomas coming in and being an immediate starter or big time contributor. Based on his talent, I think he will make this team. I am hoping that he, Kevin Reddick, Rod Sweeting, and Ryan Griffen make this team; but do not see any of them starting this year for damn sure!

 

[diehardfan]

Can't wait for training camp!!!

 

[Jortizcardona]

As an NFL prospect a melanin deficiency is worse than Melanoma.

Not only is he more athletic than Jarvis Jones (who I love by the way)...but he is equally as athletic as Victor Butler and Junior Galette.

But people are still going to compare him to Shanle, Zach thomas and every other white LB that has ever played.

Urlacher? That would be something, huh?

 

[Orleans]

Yeah Zach Thomas was a great player man. I think we all get caught up in pinning players down on race though. I like to think of Chase Thomas as a LB who has a smart ticker and good instincts. Let's throw the comparisons out the window and just put him in the category as a winner and a producer.