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Professional career
Thomas signed with the New Orleans Saints as an undrafted free agent after participating in the teams’ rookie minicamp as a defensive back and wide receiver. He was waived on July 29, 2017.===
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JUSTIN THOMAS
GEORGIA TECH ACC
5’11” 185LBS.ANALYSIS
STRENGTHS Highly-respected, three-year captain as a quarterback. Tough and competitive. Handled the pressure that came with running Georgia Tech’s option offense for three seasons. Recruited by Alabama as a defensive back and was a late replacement at the Senior Bowl at that same position. Ran a blazing 40-yard dash time at his pro day. Played baseball in high school and showed ability to track the ball in punt catching drills. Has reactive quickness to be targeted as a receiver.
WEAKNESSES Has no college experience at any other position. Will need extended time to learn a new position. Too small to play outside as a cornerback and will have to play as a slot corner. Has straight-line speed but just average short area footwork for the position. Lack of arm length and developed instincts could create a long wait for ball production in coverage. Scouts say he didn’t look as natural in his receiver or cornerback movements as they had hoped.
DRAFT PROJECTION Priority free agent
BOTTOM LINE Developmental prospect who will have to learn a new position in the pros. Lacking in size but has the long speed and competitive nature that could afford him a quality chance to make a roster after a year or two on the practice squad. While the move to a new position will be challenging, Thomas could bolster his chances if he can develop into a quality kick or punt returner.
-Lance Zierlein===
Justin Thomas gets his position assignment with the Saints
Ken Sugiura – The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
May 17, 2017
http://www.myajc.com/sports/college/justin-thomas-gets-his-position-assignment-with-the-saints/j7I9SdOzzHIwfiUHjWMJkN/HARAHAN, La. —
Former Georgia Tech quarterback Justin Thomas will make his attempt at the NFL on offense.After practicing at both wide receiver and cornerback in the New Orleans Saints’ rookie minicamp this past weekend and then being signed to the team’s 90-man offseason roster as an undrafted free agent, Thomas said Tuesday that he’ll begin his attempt at professional football at wide receiver. He may prove to be a most unlikely extension of Tech’s NFL wide receiver legacy.
“I guess it’s more of a comfort level to have the ball in my hands,” Thomas said. “I’m just working on it, trying to perfect the craft.”
Thomas said that, after spending the first day and a half of the minicamp at cornerback, team officials asked him to switch to receiver, where he stayed for the remainder of the three-day session. At the end of it, he got the good news.
“It was great,” he said. “Just a relief, just knowing that I’m going to be somewhere and at least be able to prove myself.”
It’s a big step forward from where he was before the rookie minicamp, when he came to New Orleans as one of 55 players invited to come on a tryout basis to compete for a roster spot. The team signed six of the 55. And it’s even a further distance from draft weekend, when he went undrafted and was not offered an undrafted free-agent contract afterward. He first went through an unsuccessful tryout with the 49ers before receiving a second shot with the Saints.
On draft weekend, he said, “I wasn’t upset, but I moved on. I knew I had this workout (with the 49ers) coming up, so I just started getting ready for this one.”
He has remained in New Orleans, as the rookies continue to learn schemes and plays. He’s on the bottom rung, and nothing is guaranteed, but he’s in the NFL.
“I wouldn’t say hard to believe, but it’s exciting,” he said.
On Tuesday evening, he joined Saints rookies at a crawfish boil dinner held by the Touchdown Club of New Orleans. He acknowledged there’s a lot to learn.
“First is getting in the playbook, learning the plays,” he said. “Not just running the routes, but trying to get comfortable as possible with them so I’m not out there thinking, but I’m just out there playing full speed.”
He has been assigned uniform No. 88.
“I don’t know,” he said. “It’s a little different.”
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