100 in 100: Demaryius Thomas (30 of 100)
by Drew Kerr on Feb 10, 2010 2:00 PM PST
in 100 in 100 (2010)
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PrintDemaryius Thomas has climbed the ladder to the top of being considered one of the better Wide Receivers entering the NFL this year. Being that he is coming from a team that's primary objective was to run the ball, and still managed to rack up 1000+ Yards receiving this year on the amount of catches he had (46), warrants all the attention he is getting. It makes one wonder how he would have done if he would have played for a University that's main objective was to pass the ball. Thomas stands at 6'3" and weighs in at 229; comparisons have been drawn to players such as Andre Johnson and Vincent Jackson because of the size and physical nature that Thomas brings to the table.
In 2006, Thomas was a redshirt true freshman and did not receive any playing time but in 2007 played in all 13 games. In 2008, Thomas was a clear-cut starter and led the team in receiving and emerged as one of the most skilled players in the ACC. 2009, the Georgia Tech receiver was said to be the best Wide Receiver the program had seen since Calvin Johnson.
Throughout the course of Thomas' career he has proven that he has the potential to be a solid starter in the NFL. Will he live up to that potential is the question. Sometimes players are built up in hype and never live up to their potential and others that don't get as much hype do things that people speculated not possible. I think Thomas falls somewhere in the middle of those two scenarios. There will be some things that he does great at the next level and some things that won't translate too well in to the NFL. He will obviously need to work hard at the things he struggles at initially to get to that elite level.
Below, we will take alook at some of Bey Bey's stats, highlights, and projections...
This video shows that Thomas has exceptional hands and that the smaller defensive backs have a very difficult time covering him and bringing him down. The one thing this video misses, is how well Thomas can block. It showed one block against Georgia where he came and and sealed off the inside for his back to get to the outside. Georgia Tech ran the ball a bunch so naturally Thomas had to develop good blocking skills.
AWARDS AND HONORS:
- 2009 First Team All-ACC
- 2007 ACC All Freshman Team
- 2007 Honorable Mention All American Freshman Team
CAREER STATS:
| Stats Overview | Receiving | Rushing | Fumbles | |||||||||
| YEAR | REC | YDS | AVG | LNG | TD | ATT | YDS | AVG | LNG | TD | FUM | LST |
| 2007 | 35 | 558 | 15.9 | 56 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2008 | 39 | 627 | 16.1 | 88 | 3 | 2 | 29 | 14.5 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2009 | 46 | 1154 | 25.1 | 76 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 3.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2009 Regular Season Game Log | Receiving | Rushing | Fumbles | |||||||||||
| DATE | OPP | RESULT | REC | YDS | AVG | LNG | TD | ATT | YDS | AVG | LNG | TD | FUM | LST |
| 9/5 | Jacksonville State | W 37-17 | 4 | 101 | 25.3 | 56 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 9/10 | Clemson | W 30-27 | 3 | 93 | 31.0 | 39 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 9/17 | @Miami (FL) | L 33-17 | 6 | 133 | 22.2 | 56 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 9/26 | North Carolina | W 24-7 | 3 | 35 | 11.7 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 10/3 | @Mississippi State | W 42-31 | 8 | 174 | 21.8 | 65 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 10/10 | @Florida State | W 49-44 | 2 | 84 | 42.0 | 73 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 10/17 | Virginia Tech | W 28-23 | 1 | 51 | 51.0 | 51 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 10/24 | @Virginia | W 34-9 | 3 | 76 | 25.3 | 52 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 10/31 | @Vanderbilt | W 56-31 | 4 | 76 | 19.0 | 35 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 11/7 | Wake Forest | W 30-27 | 3 | 38 | 12.7 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 11/14 | @Duke | W 49-10 | 2 | 89 | 44.5 | 75 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 11/28 | Georgia | L 30-24 | 5 | 127 | 25.4 | 76 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 12/5 | @Clemson | W 39-34 | 2 | 77 | 38.5 | 70 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2009 Postseason Game Log | Receiving | Rushing | Fumbles | |||||||||||
| BOWL | OPP | RESULT | REC | YDS | AVG | LNG | TD | ATT | YDS | AVG | LNG | TD | FUM | LST |
| FedEx ORANGE BOWL | Iowa | L 24-14 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
SUMMARY AND PROJECTIONS:
There hasn't been too many people that I have seen that don't think very highly of Thomas but there are a few out there. I don't really see too many flaws in his game and for how big and sure-handed he is he should be drafted accordingly. It is believed by most that Thomas will be a 2nd Round pick. There is a slight chance for him to fall in to the 3rd but I would be shocked if he did.
Possibilities -- 2nd Round, 3rd Round.
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HIs route running needs work.
BTW: Did he really run a 4.4 40?
What number do you expect from him at the combine?
What we've got here is a failure to communicate.
I thought his route running looked crisp. He has no official 40-time.
The Tim Tebow Story "A Bust In The Making" ...Part 2 Coming After The Draft...Stay Tuned.
I thought I heard them say he did a 4.2 which is WOW.
He looked like he had good acceleration and speed… that and the big body and good hands.. I wouldn’t mind him on the 49ers. Who do they cover? VD, Crabtree or Thomas…
1a – Spiller
1b – trade down to a lower 1st and pick up the best OT still available
2a – Best OG available
2b – Thomas
That would be a very nice 1st two rounds.
"Whether you think you can, or you think you can't, either way, YOU'RE RIGHT !"
Your Mock
I’m working a a scheme where we could get Thomas at Pick 49 and still get one of the 3 best OGs after Iupati, EARLY in Round 3. Will post it when developed.
by 49erFanSince1950 on Feb 10, 2010 5:36 PM PST up reply actions
All I know at this point is that he has great field speed. We all know that Jerry Rice did not have an excellent 40-time but on the field, there werent many people that could catch him. I think Thomas has good to great field speed but he’s not going to have a track speed 40-time. Plus his stiff arm makes up for alot. The way he turns around while running toward the endzone and punishes DB’s is a feature I would not mind having in a WR.
The Tim Tebow Story "A Bust In The Making" ...Part 2 Coming After The Draft...Stay Tuned.
Define crisp
He rounded off his routes too much and his breaks were not clean.
This is easily fixable though.
That’s why I asked about his speed.
He has breakaway speed but he occasionally looks slow while running his routes.
You did say that he ran a 4.39 in another thread.
I looked it up and that was a long time ago.
What we've got here is a failure to communicate.
by SportsChicken on Feb 10, 2010 11:27 PM PST up reply actions
define clean
He plants and cuts and has speed out of the cuts ending up where he is supposed to be. When he runs a 9 route with a hitch, his primary job on that is to juke the DB, he does that well. I dont know what you are talking about.
The Tim Tebow Story "A Bust In The Making" ...Part 2 Coming After The Draft...Stay Tuned.
He just looked sloppy out there on some routes
He wasn’t running them full speed and it took him a while to change direction.
When he did change directions he had to slow down considerably.
It’s something that needs to be worked on.
You can’t say he runs routes like Damian WIlliams, he needs work.
What we've got here is a failure to communicate.
by SportsChicken on Feb 11, 2010 11:50 AM PST up reply actions
I didn’t notice that. I don’t think they are sloppy. Maybe need slight work but nothing too bad at all.
The Tim Tebow Story "A Bust In The Making" ...Part 2 Coming After The Draft...Stay Tuned.
He's not the worst route runner in the draft
That’s obvious.
He needs work.
But I don’t even see it being an issue. He was on a run-first team, it’s only natural for him to be raw.
He just needs a good coach.
What we've got here is a failure to communicate.
by SportsChicken on Feb 12, 2010 11:03 PM PST up reply actions
Like I told Jim, he doesn’t have an official 40-time posted anywhere. There is one from when he was in high school but obviously you cannot count that.
The Tim Tebow Story "A Bust In The Making" ...Part 2 Coming After The Draft...Stay Tuned.
The high school time
That’s the only one I could find.
What we've got here is a failure to communicate.
by SportsChicken on Feb 11, 2010 11:48 AM PST up reply actions
I didn't say it was reliable
Just that I looked around at it was all I could find.
What we've got here is a failure to communicate.
by SportsChicken on Feb 12, 2010 11:03 PM PST up reply actions
I'm just curious about his speed, is all.
What we've got here is a failure to communicate.
by SportsChicken on Feb 11, 2010 11:48 AM PST up reply actions
Route running has noticable flaws, but that can be taught. That is one of the most common problems with receivers coming out of college. New Era Scouting gives a pretty accurate report on this guy http://www.newerascouting.com/01/demaryius-thomas-scouting-report/ . The other thing i noticed was he wasnt a great open field runner when it came to beating a defender after the catch. If he caught the ball on a hook he looked up to turn the jets on but didnt seem to know what to do to get past a guy one on one. He has a great stiff arm when being chased by defenders though. His skill is definately running past a defender, which he’ll have a harder time doing in the pros, and overpowering dbs in the air and coming down with the ball.
I was extremely impressed with that vid you posted. I watched a GT game ealier in the year and didnt notice him much, im guessing becasue they run the ball a lot. The comparisons to Andre Johnson in the style of player he is was bang on…..big, strong, fast, great hands etc. If he can be half the receiver Johnson is he’ll still be a decent starter.
I’ve made it clear here that Im a Jeremy Willimas fan, but I’’ll admit this guy has way more potential than Willimas. Willimas is slightly more polished, but the ceiling is way higher for this guy.
But the concept of open field running doesn’t exist in the NFL. If the ball carrier is in the open field it probably means he is already past all 11 defenders. Just look at every Frank Gore’s runs this season, the furthest defender is 8 yards from the line of scrimmage.
I’d also add his frame probably prevents him from being a good route runner. He is built like Marshall and Boldin who aren’t great route runner themselves instead they rely more on their physical attributes.
Boldin and Marshall are built completely different and have different skill sets. I would compare Thomas(6’3 229) more to a Marshall or A.Johnson(6’3 225 -very good route runner).
The Andre Johnson comparison isn't a good one--yet
Johnson is a very good route runner and probably has more speed than Thomas.
I’d say he’s more like Marshall.
What we've got here is a failure to communicate.
by SportsChicken on Feb 12, 2010 11:05 PM PST up reply actions
Again
I don’t see that one bit
The Tim Tebow Story "A Bust In The Making" ...Part 2 Coming After The Draft...Stay Tuned.
new era scouting – route Running: Very green as a route runner. Ran an extremely limited tree at Georgia Tech because of the simple scheme. Rounds his cuts and takes too many steps when he need to make a 90 degree or 180 degree turn. Needs a lot of work in this area.
This is very noticable. Some examples from the video..
36 sec – sloppy route, almost allows the defender to come over top and make a play. His route starts fading towards the sideline initially which made it difficult to come back towards the ball. Ball seemed to be slightly underthrown though.
1:00 – this route looks like hes suppose to cut, but he rounds the cut.
4:17 – perfect example of stutter stepping when he should plant and cut 90 degrees. Again the quarterback released this ball late allowing the defender to almost get a hand on it. Notice the separation though when he starts his cut.
he looks good though and this can be fixed.
Re: 36 sec — I don’t see what you’re talking about. It looks like a busted play because of immediate pressure which in turn caused the QB to throw it before Thomas finished the route. In fact, it seems like he came back and made a play on the ball because it was underthrown which is a coaches dream…a receiver that actually makes plays on underthrown passes. It was probably a fade route and that would explain the fading. Seems like you’re making stuff up on that one, or maybe referencing another play. Either way, didn’t see what you were talking about.
Re: 1:00 — Poorly thrown ball…can’t blame bad route running on that one when he had both the CB and the Safety beat.
Re: 4:17 — I would bet my last dollar that the route there was designed to have that extra step toward the middle of the field to make it appear as a seam route and make the DB bite… it worked.
He may have a very small bit of fine tuning to do, but nothing serious enough to warrant saying he is a bad route runner like some of these people are saying. He works hard to get his catches and in the offense he was in, didn’t receive a ton of targets which, is in it’s own right, is a good thing because he had to catch every ball thrown his way. He also had a horrible QB throwing him the ball to add. With what he had to work with, I think he did an exceptional job in nearly every facet.
The Tim Tebow Story "A Bust In The Making" ...Part 2 Coming After The Draft...Stay Tuned.
Making stuff up? I am agreeing with everything else you are saying. I am admitting he looks better than i thought he was. I was impressed with a lot of other aspects…hands, leaping, body postioning and shielding, stiff arm, awareness of where the ball is etc etc.
I’ll admit, unless we know the play that was called we cant evaluate with certainty.
For the record I never said he was a “bad route runner”, I said he had noticable flaws that needed some work which he does! I was basically praising him saying the only thing I noticed was something that can be corrected fairly easily.
Are you arguing against his scouting reports a as well? I have yet to read a report that says anything positive about his route running. Every report Ive read that list weaknesses has that listed as the first thing. Please show me something that supports what you are saying.
Walter football says he is an "Extremely poor route runner " http://walterfootball.com/scoutingreport2010dthomas.php
I wouldnt go that far but you get my point.
36 sec – quite possible this one was the qbs fault and it was suppose to be a fade. i wouldnt say it was a broken play. qb seemed to be going there irregardless of the pressure. on first glance it looked like his route drifted and he had to correct himself.
1:00- again i cant be certain of what his route was but it looks like he was running a flag route and he “rounds” his cut. The fact he had to slow down for the pass after his cut is really a moot point because he doesnt even look back for the ball till after.
4:17- looks like a typical out. it’s possible what youre saying is true but not likely. he noticably slows down before his cut. i believe this is what chikmagnet was getting at as well.
Why do you do this, Drew?
It’s obvious that route running is Thomas’ weak point.
Why can’t you just admit that he needs work.
There’s a reason he’s not projected to go in the 1st round.
What we've got here is a failure to communicate.
by SportsChicken on Feb 12, 2010 11:08 PM PST up reply actions
I did
He may have a very small bit of fine tuning to do, but nothing serious enough to warrant saying he is a bad route runner like some of these people are saying.
The Tim Tebow Story "A Bust In The Making" ...Part 2 Coming After The Draft...Stay Tuned.
I didn’t see anything on the video to make me believe he won’t be successful on the NFL level. Good size, good speed, can run some routes and attacks the football in the air very well. Most of his YAC came from flat out beating the defender or throwing him to the side after the catch, both those tricks work well in the NFL. I would expect him to be a fairly good football player.
In the video he was stopping or coming back for most of those catches..
Think of what he could do if the ball was in front of him and he didn’t have to break stride.
Also, He looks like he is really good at finding the ball and making the plays..
"Whether you think you can, or you think you can't, either way, YOU'RE RIGHT !"
I love this guy's potential!
I believe that this guy has all of the skills to become a great #2 NFL receiver. He’s very athletic, has great hands, blocks well for his level of development, and has good speed for his size (4.57 in the 40, at 230 pounds, is what I’ve seen compared to Bryant at 4.55 at 210, LaFell at 4.5 at 210, and Shipley at 4.45 at 195). The big shortfall is probably route running since Ga Tech is primarily a running team. The good news is that we have the perfect coach (Jerry Sullivan) to teach him patterns and technique. Wished that he would fall to the third round, but he won’t. We either take him at Pick 49 (he projected at #47-56 overall) or forget it. If the latter, we could consider drafting Steve Williams (Toledo) in the 7th round. But, he would be a much bigger project to develop.
by 49erFanSince1950 on Feb 10, 2010 5:33 PM PST reply actions
Number two?
At that size and speed with those huge hands, when his routes become crisp he can be a number 1 easily. #2 potential is an understatement. Why spend a 2nd rounder a guy you believe can be a #2 as far as potential goes? Williams won’t make it to the 7th, and I don’t think there will be that much development. if he runs another 4.4 in the combine he will go 5th at the latest and The raiders would spend a 2nd or 3rd.
Mocking.............
1a- traded for Eric Berry
1b- CJ Spiller RB Clemson
2 traded to acquire E Berry
3. Calloway, Selvish Capers, Jason Fox
4. Mike johnson OG, John Jerry, Asamoah
5. Stephen Williams, Jacoby Ford, Freddie barnes
6.Anthony Wiseman CB Maryland
7. Danny Batten, South Dakota State - DE
Sorry FloridaDanny, I owe you one, I just don't know what it is!!
And our WR coach is apparently overrated, what is taking Morgan so long? Hill?
Why draft Jones if our WR coach is making our WR’s NFL ready? he isn’t that good IMO. Fire him and get Jerry, PERIOD.
Mocking.............
1a- traded for Eric Berry
1b- CJ Spiller RB Clemson
2 traded to acquire E Berry
3. Calloway, Selvish Capers, Jason Fox
4. Mike johnson OG, John Jerry, Asamoah
5. Stephen Williams, Jacoby Ford, Freddie barnes
6.Anthony Wiseman CB Maryland
7. Danny Batten, South Dakota State - DE
Sorry FloridaDanny, I owe you one, I just don't know what it is!!
Hell Yeah!!!!!
49ers Al Grito De Guerra!!! hahaha
by 49erSalvatrucha on Feb 10, 2010 9:45 PM PST up reply actions
Response
To your first point, I’m assuming that when you draft a guy at #10 (below where he was ranked overall by most evaluators) and then another guy at #49 in the Second Round, you probably consider the higher pick the #1 receiver. In any event, I would LOVE to have both on the field, together with Vernon, at the same time. Who the hell has DBs that can adedquately cover all three at once? Further, if we improve the OL so that Smith has decent time to throw, even he should have a field day with this crew!
As for Jerry Sullivan, he has been one of the most highly respected WR coaches in the NFL for the last decade. Read what Crabtree has to say about how much he has learned from Jerry in less than six month. As for Morgan and Hill, they have been given plenty of time to develop, but just aren’t that great. Is it more likely that the problem is with the coach or the player? Why is Crabs learning quickly but the other two aren’t?
As for Jerry Rice, I’m all for having he (and Steve Young) help their position players in any way they can. But, I’m sure Jerry Rice (or Steve Yound) don’t want to be full-time coaches for anyone.
By the way, Steve Williams is ranked 366th by DraftTek and 185th by The Huddle Report. Other rating services don’t even have him listed.
by 49erFanSince1950 on Feb 11, 2010 11:07 AM PST up reply actions
Morgan was a 6th round pick who was named a starter in his first year, that has to say something for the coaching. Hill has played well when he’s on the field, I think the fact that we haven’t seen much from him has more to do with roster management than his ability or coaching.
I guarantee you that if jerry rice wanted to be a full time recievers coach he would be. I think he’s happy doing what he’s doing.
by hellaninersfan on Feb 11, 2010 11:15 AM PST up reply actions
Yeah he's a player
Not the best route running skills, but he makes up for it with position and good hands. Doesn’t appear to have blazing speed but is quick. This is the type of guy we could use for sustaining drives. A possession receiver with a few more perks.
THIS...
…is my favorite player in this draft. value considered
Too slow for the pros.
He looks very slow. On the last clip where he gets behind the DB, watch that corner close a 20 yard gap on him in seconds. He is a Dwayne Jarrett type: too big for college CBs, but too slow to beat them. Imagine against NFL CBs. I predict he runs a 4.6 and drops to the 4th rd. Niners don’t need him.
I want winners!!
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