Recent Forum Topics › Forums › The Rams Huddle › Michael Thomas
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April 30, 2016 at 10:26 pm #43095znModerator
Michael Thomas, Wide Receiver, Southern Mississippi
Age: 21 – Height: 6’1″ – Weight: 193 lbs.
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Lance Zierlein
STRENGTHS Plays like his hair is on fire. Posted eye–opening production in 2015. Motor is always in the red and brings enthusiasm and urgency to the field. Has good size, but plays even bigger. Able to play through contact and still make difficult, contested catches. Confidence took off as season progressed. Doesn’t have blazing speed but hit explosive play after explosive play. Good leaper with great body control to win high percentage of 50-50 balls. Good hand fighter down the sideline. Will drain every yard he can get out of every catch.
WEAKNESSES Average athlete inside first 10 yards. Hip tightness limits sink into and out of breaks and routes can be very raw. JUCO transfer who played just two years of FBS football. Easy target to tag for press corners. Needs to vary approach and tempo of press release. Drop rate of 10.1 percent due to focus issues. Struggles creating separation at top of his routes versus tight man coverage. Needs more commitment as run blocker.
DRAFT PROJECTION Rounds 6 or 7
SOURCES TELL US “You want to write him off when you start watching the tape and then he just starts outworking everyone for the big plays.” — NFL South scoutBOTTOM LINE While much of Thomas’ production was churned out against middling competition, it is worth noting that he had at least one touchdown catch over his last 10 games including two touchdowns and 190 receiving yards in his bowl game against Washington. Thomas could face a struggle to get open against NFL press coverage, but his desire and competitiveness will make following his run in camp an interesting one.
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Dane Brugler
STRENGTHS: Easy acceleration off the line and plant-and-go burst in his breaks, selling patterns with timing and creating separation at the stem. He has quick hands to snare without breaking stride.
WEAKNESSES: Needs to be more aggressive at the catch point and his pipe-cleaner frame will be the main question mark regarding his NFL future.
IN OUR VIEW: Thomas isn’t a well-known prospect, but he is a player worthy of late-round draft consideration. Thomas will be joining Reed at the NFLPA Bowl and it isn’t difficult to understand why scouts are intrigued by former JUCO transfer who set school record with 1,201 receiving yards over the regular season.
Thomas possesses very good initial quickness to slip past press coverage and get vertical and flashes the hand-eye coordination to make the spectacular grab. To stick in the NFL, however, he needs to show greater focus, too often dropping passes when he senses oncoming defenders.
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PFF
What he does best:
• Creates separation on a variety of routes
• Impressive at the catch-point at times, can outmuscle a defensive back to the ball
• Caught the highest percentage of contested passes among the top receivers in the draft class
• Wins the subtle hand-battle downfield to create separation on deep passes
• Creates good separation on the deep dig route, accelerates out of his break
• Capable of some circus catches, we’ve seen him extend himself to win the ball numerous times
• Wasn’t invited to the combine, so we don’t know his timed speed, but appears to have the speed to beat defensive backs downfield
Biggest concern:
• Can get jammed at the line of scrimmage and struggles to break free when it happens• Lacks polish as a wide receiver, more of an athlete playing the position at this point
• Dropped nine of 122 catchable passes between 2014 and 2015—not too high, but some really poor drops in there
Bottom line:
Thomas might be the first real sleeper at the position in this class. He needs to improve at getting off press coverage, but he plays much bigger than 6-foot-1-inch; Thomas has the ability to really surprise some people down the road.—
Highlights:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USQJzfoFgDM%5D
April 30, 2016 at 10:30 pm #43098MackeyserModeratorAnother development WR. Shows promise.
Sports is the crucible of human virtue. The distillate remains are human vice.
April 30, 2016 at 10:33 pm #43099znModeratormax found this
Waldman on MThomas
Underrated WR Prospects
Michael Thomas, Southern Mississippi: He makes exceptional catches in difficult circumstances. He can turn a short play into a long touchdown. And he’s technically sound as a route runner with room to get even better. Somehow he didn’t get invited to the NFL Combine. Thomas is massively underrated player in NFL circles.
April 30, 2016 at 10:38 pm #43104znModerator2016 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Southern Mississippi WR Mike Thomas
from that article (which is loaded with vids):
You already know about the other Michael Thomas, my no. 2 wide receiver in the draft, but you might not know much about Mike Thomas, one of the more underrated players in the 2016 class. Southern Mississippi’s Thomas is a little bit smaller and more raw than his Ohio State colleague, but offers tons of translatable tools and traits that should help him develop into a fine NFL receiver.
One of the first things I look at in small school receivers is how advanced their route tree and route running abilities are. Transitioning from a spread offense to a pro-style system has given plenty of receivers issues in the NFL, but Thomas ran a pretty complete tree at Southern Mississippi, showing the ability to create separation at all levels of the field. This is one of the best routes of the year by any receiver in the draft.
Exceptionally smooth movements, causing the defender to break inside before Thomas abruptly swivels his hips on the post-corner route. That’s a more intricate pattern that you won’t see all the time on tape, so Thomas’ mastery of the route considering his two years of FBS experience is even more impressive.
He’s able to consistently create separation on post routes by selling vertically before stemming inside, giving his quarterback a suitable throwing window. Thomas isn’t Sterling Shepard in the short-intermediate game, but his short-area quickness is more than adequate enough to detach from man coverage on a regular basis.
April 30, 2016 at 10:48 pm #43106InvaderRamModeratorthomas and higbee look like absolute steals right now. i’m excited.
April 30, 2016 at 10:52 pm #43108canadaramParticipantOurlads
Two-year starter and junior college transfer from Chicago, IL. Breakout year in 2015 where he averaged 19.5 yards per catch. A good athlete who is a little more than a possession receiver. Has a good stutter go move that fools defensive backs on this level. Slips across the formation and can beat man coverage then get up the field. He lines up on the left side of the formation 71.4% of the time and is in the slot 22.4%. Rarely lines up on the right side, only 3.5%. Thomas was targets 28.6% of the time on 185 routes. His drop percentage was almost double the norm of 5.9%. He dropped 11.3% of his targets. The slender and wiry receiver has made several circus type one-handed catches showing his concentration and athleticism. Can twist his body to adjust to about any off target pass. Goes up after the ball. He doesn’t wait on it. Plucks the ball at the high point. A developmental prospect with some draft able qualities. Pro day numbers. 16/BP, 10-11/BJ, 7.05/ 3 cone. 2015 stats. 71-1391, 19.5 ypr, 14 TD. Not invited to the Combine. Seventh round/PFA. (A-31 3/8, H-9 5/8, VJ-36, SS-4.28).
May 1, 2016 at 12:06 am #43115InvaderRamModeratorMay 1, 2016 at 11:19 am #43187canadaramParticipantSorry about the misplaced posts on lomax and Jordan. I reposted in he UDFA thread. Too late for me to delete them here.
- This reply was modified 8 years, 6 months ago by canadaram.
May 1, 2016 at 11:44 am #43196znModeratorSorry about the misplaced posts on lomax and Jordan. I reposted in he UDFA thread. Too late for me to delete them here.
I got it. No problem.
May 1, 2016 at 3:16 pm #43219znModeratorInteresting bit, I think. —>
from PFF
Thomas is one of our favorite picks in the draft as the No. 38 player on the PFF draft board has great body control and he won contested catches at a higher rate than the other top receivers in the class. Thomas ranked seventh in the class in yards per route run, deep pass receptions and deep pass yards.
May 1, 2016 at 3:42 pm #43221wvParticipantMuch depends on this new WR coach,
one would think. A raw talent like Thomas is
gonna need a good mentor.w
vMay 1, 2016 at 7:22 pm #43235znModeratorMay 2, 2016 at 11:40 am #43271znModeratorfrom TOP 10 IMPACT SLEEPER PICKS FROM THE 2016 NFL DRAFT
GORDON MCGUINNESS
Now that the 2016 NFL draft is over, we get a chance to look back over the picks and highlight the lesser-known picks that could end up having a major impact for their teams down the line. Here are the top 10 sleeper picks from Day 3:
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3. Mike Thomas, WR, Los Angeles Rams
Thomas likely fell in the draft due to average measurables and the fact that he played against a lower level of competition at Southern Miss. But he had the 11th highest receiving grade in this draft class, and flashed the kind of ability at times that leads you to believe he has a chance to develop into a very special player. His 2.98 yards per route run average was the fifth-best mark of any receiver in this draft class. His second-highest game grade of the year came against Washington in the bowl game, which should at least somewhat dampen fears about the level of competition he faced. He’s a potential steal for the Rams, which currently doesn’t have the strongest offensive supporting cast around new QB Jared Goff.May 4, 2016 at 12:08 am #43362InvaderRamModeratoranybody seen this guy in interviews? he talks like he plays. full of energy. his enthusiasm just oozes through. i’m really rooting for this guy.
brian randolph too. that guy’s a character, but he’s also a tough hard worker.
michael thomas interview:
http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/videos/sports/college/southern-miss/football/2015/07/23/30561083/here’s brian randolph.
- This reply was modified 8 years, 6 months ago by InvaderRam.
May 4, 2016 at 10:14 am #43391znModeratorRams’ Mike Thomas makes PFF’s top 10 sleeper list
Nick Wagoner
LOS ANGELES — In the run-up to the NFL draft, long before the Los Angeles Rams traded up from No. 15 to No. 1 overall, many in the mock draft universe sent wide receiver Michael Thomas to the Rams.
As it turned out, the Rams did draft Michael Thomas. Except, they didn’t do it at No. 15, they waited until the sixth round. And, well, it’s not the same Michael Thomas.
The Thomas mocked to the Rams before the team traded up went to Ohio State and landed in New Orleans in the second round. The one the Rams drafted went to Southern Mississippi. But just because the Rams’ Thomas went much later than the other one doesn’t mean he arrives in Los Angeles without potential to contribute.
Over at Pro Football Focus, their team of evaluators released its list of the top 10 sleeper picks of the 2016 NFL draft. Thomas checked in at No. 3 on the list with PFF pointing to the fact that Thomas had their 11th highest receiving grade of all the wideouts in this year’s class. According to PFF’s metrics, Thomas averaged 2.98 yards per route run, which was fifth best among receivers in the class.
Soon after the draft, one Rams personnel type also pointed to Thomas as the potential sleeper in this class. Thomas didn’t attend the scouting combine and his measurables aren’t in line with other top wideouts but Thomas’ ability to win contested catches and make plays down the field make for an intriguing package.
Thomas shouldn’t lack for opportunity to make the roster, either. As a true outside receiver, he joins only Kenny Britt and Brian Quick as players on the roster fitting that profile.
Thomas will be one to watch for the Rams as training camp approaches
May 10, 2016 at 12:06 pm #43775znModeratorRams hoping the ‘other’ Michael Thomas turns into a draft steal
Nick Wagoner
LOS ANGELES — New Los Angeles Rams receiver Michael Thomas didn’t have to wait long to hear his name called during the NFL draft.
Sitting at home with friends and family in Chicago, Thomas watched as former Saints running back Deuce McAllister stepped to the podium and called his name with the 47th overall pick in the draft. Under normal circumstances, Thomas would have been excited for the culmination of his football dreams. But there was one big problem.
New Orleans was picking a different Michael Thomas. The Saints went with the Ohio State version, a player who had long been pegged as a first or second-round choice and had attended the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis.
Instead of landing with the Saints or at any time in the second round, Thomas had to wait much longer to hear his name again, listening intently for the designation of “from Southern Mississippi” to be sure it was right.
As it turned out, the Rams finally came calling in the sixth round, using pick No. 206 to secure Thomas’ services. For Thomas, being chosen behind someone sharing his name wasn’t nearly as surprising as having to wait until the draft’s penultimate round.
“I was anticipating going earlier, but I was just being patient and didn’t let it get to me,” Thomas said. “I just knew I was going to get picked, but I didn’t know when.”
Actually, Thomas had some preconceived projections for his draft status that fall in line with where the other Thomas went.
“To be honest, probably second through the fourth, no later than the fourth,” Thomas said. “But, obviously that didn’t happen. I just stayed patient and kept thinking positive about it and here I am.”
Thomas’ surprise at lasting as long as he did is actually well-founded. After bouncing from junior college to Southern Miss, Thomas was one of the country’s most productive receivers. In 2015, he finished with 71 catches for 1,391 yards and 14 touchdowns. At 6-foot-1, 200 pounds, it wasn’t like Thomas lacked size and reports pegged his 40-yard dash time at his pro day in the 4.4-4.5 second range so speed wasn’t necessarily the issue, either.
Of course, had Thomas posted those numbers at the combine, his stock probably would have soared when matched with his production.
“It was really a surprise,” Thomas said of not getting a combine invite. “That just motivated me more to keep going. That put a lot of fire in me to keep going, keep working hard, and thinking positive the whole way through.”
Thomas said after the draft that he didn’t think the lack of a combine invite hurt his stock but he also couldn’t quite put his finger on why he didn’t go earlier. Even the deeper analytical sites like Pro Football Focus believe Thomas has the look of a potential late-round bargain. PFF recently named Thomas one of its top 10 sleeper picks in the draft after giving him the 11th highest grade of all wideouts in this year’s draft class.
According to PFF’s metrics, Thomas averaged 2.98 yards per route run, which was fifth best among receivers in the class.
“Michael is a guy who played at Southern Miss, and played on the outside there,” Rams general manager Les Snead said. “He ran a lot of routes for them and caught a lot of balls. What you notice about him is being able to catch the ball when there was a defender near him, and pluck the ball out of the air when somebody was covering him or draped on his back, per se.”
After the draft, one Rams personnel man agreed with the assessment that Thomas could be the sleeper of the class. In joining the Rams, Thomas finds himself in position to make a run at a roster spot.
In terms of true outside receivers, the Rams have only Kenny Britt and Brian Quick on the roster. Britt and Quick will be unrestricted free agents after the season and Quick has never lived up to his draft status as an early second-round pick. If Thomas can pick up the offense and NFL route tree in short order, he should have a chance to not just secure a spot on the 53-man roster but possibly even contribute as a rookie.
“I bring dynamic playmaking skills,” Thomas said. “I can stretch the field, make things happen, make plays, execute plays, and that’s what I’m looking forward to doing with the Rams. Keep making plays, executing, and winning games.”
And perhaps make a name for himself in the process.
May 18, 2016 at 8:51 am #44216znModeratorThomas Brings Big-Play Ability to L.A.
Myles Simmons
Following their blockbuster trade up to No. 1 overall, the Rams entered the 2016 NFL Draft with only five picks in the seven-round event. But a trade back from No. 113 to No. 117 brought Los Angeles No. 206 from Chicago. And that could turn out to be a move with long-lasting, positive consequences.
The Rams finished out this year’s draft by picking up their fifth offensive player, wide receiver Mike Thomas. Known a strong outside threat who can stretch the field vertically, Thomas finished his 2015 season at Southern Miss with 71 receptions for 1,391 yards and 14 touchdowns. That’s an average of 19.6 yards per catch, illustrating his penchant for big plays.
“That’s exactly it. Obviously, he probably was on ESPN a couple times for top 10 plays, at least one Saturday in the fall,” general manager Les Snead said. “The La. Tech catch for sure.”
Snead’s referring to a reception Thomas made in late November, as Southern Miss defeated Louisiana Tech, 58-24, to clinch the Conference-USA West division title. Thomas had seven receptions for 162 yards and one special touchdown catch.
With just over 10 minutes left in the second quarter, Thomas made an Odell Beckham Jr.-esque one-handed grab in the end zone to give Southern Miss a 21-3 lead. It was a play that undoubtedly put Thomas on more teams’ radar.
“That play, my quarterback Nick Mullens, he gave me the look,” Thomas said during rookie orientation. “The team was blitzing anyway, so I knew it was coming to me. And I just told him, ‘Just throw it anywhere — I’m going to go get it.’ And he threw it out of my frame, and I just stretched my hand out and grabbed it.
“People were like, ‘Dang, are you surprised that you caught it?’” Thomas continued. “I was like, ‘No, I catch a lot of balls one-handed every day.’ So that was nothing new to me. It just happened in the game. And it was on TV.”
According to head coach Jeff Fisher, Thomas has the ability to uncover and make contested catches. Fisher said for some receivers, every pass is contested because they can’t get open.
“In his case, he gets open, but he can make the plays out of frame,” Fisher said. “So he’s got a chance. We’re looking forward to watching him compete against our defensive backs.”
Thomas is the kind of player who always looks like he’s having fun on the field. From celebrating touchdowns to dancing during warmups, Thomas carries himself in a way that shows his passion for the game.
“That comes from Chicago — that’s that Chicago swagger right there,” Thomas said. “Just coming from the city of Chicago, I just love to have fun.
“In high school, our football program wasn’t big. We didn’t have a lot of students, fans — none of that,” Thomas added, noting many times there were only 20 people at their games. “I still like to have fun while I’m playing. So that’s where the swagger comes from.”
As Thomas continues in the offseason program, he’s looking to master the L.A. offense as quickly as he can. After that, he feels everything will take care of itself.
“My first goal is to get the playbook down pat so I can play as fast as I can,” Thomas said. “That’s what I’m aiming for — just learning the playbook as fast as I can so once I learn the playbook, and play it fast, I know I’m going to make the team. I’m confident.”
May 18, 2016 at 11:03 pm #44298InvaderRamModerator“My first goal is to get the playbook down pat so I can play as fast as I can,” Thomas said. “That’s what I’m aiming for — just learning the playbook as fast as I can so once I learn the playbook, and play it fast, I know I’m going to make the team. I’m confident.”
haha. every interview he’s like that. the enthusiasm just bubbles through.
i think he has the potential to be the best wr the rams have had since torry holt left. not that that’s saying much considering the receivers the rams have had since then.
i just think it’s going to take thomas at least a year before we see that.
May 20, 2016 at 10:47 am #44389znModeratorSOUTHERN MISS’ MICHAEL THOMAS CAN DEVELOP INTO A TOP NFL WR
https://www.profootballfocus.com/draft-southern-miss-michael-thomas-can-develop-into-a-top-nfl-wr/
This is a strange wide receiver class. The headline grabbers in Baylor’s Corey Coleman, TCU’s Josh Doctson and Ole Miss’ Laquon Treadwell all have their flaws, but if you dig a little deeper into the class, there are good No. 2-type receivers who are likely to be available on Day 2 of the draft and beyond. That’s not to say some of these sleepers can’t develop into top receivers in the NFL, however, which brings us to Southern Miss’ Michael Thomas.
We’ve heard a lot about Ohio State’s Michael Thomas as a potential late first-round draft pick, but the buzz for the Southern Miss playmaker of the same name is much less vocal, though it does exist. Owning the 11th-highest receiving grade of all receivers in this draft class, there’s a lot to like about him.
Let’s be clear though, Thomas isn’t the perfect draft prospect, and as frighteningly good as some of his traits are, there are things that would make me nervous about drafting him high in the second round if I were an NFL general manager. He dropped seven passes from 79 catchable targets this year, giving him a drop rate of 8.97 that ranked 19th-worst of the 45 receivers in this class to see at least 58 catchable passes thrown their way. Drops can be misleading — let’s not forget that Amari Cooper came out of Alabama with a safe set of hands last year and went on to lead the NFL in drops in 2015 — but in addition to a high frequency, Thomas had some really poor drops as well.
When it comes to production his 1,392 yards are impressive, but a lot of his yardage came on moments where he flashed, rather than times where he took games over. He racked up over 100 yards as a receiver on eight occasions in 2015, and in all eight of those games at least 25 percent of his yardage came on one reception. That’s not necessarily a bad thing — and it’s good that he creates big plays — but teams would prefer to see him as a bigger threat consistently, rather than once or twice per game.
While there are reservations about Thomas, it’s time to pivot to his ceiling, which is one of the highest of any receiver in this draft class. There are things he can do that hint to the possibility that he can develop into the best receiver to enter the NFL this year. He’s raw and needs work to get there, but what he does well, he does very well.
Thomas ranks near the top of multiple signature stat categories, highlighting his overall skill set amongst the other receivers in this class. WR rating tracks the NFL QB rating on passes where each receiver was targeted. With 71 catches for 1,392 yards and 14 touchdowns from 112 targets, ranking sixth in the class. Obviously the play of the quarterback comes into the equation here too, but it does give a solid basic look at his production.
Thomas was also a solid deep threat, with his 509 yards on passes traveling 20 yards or more in the air ranking seventh amongst draft eligible receivers. He was actually only targeted 30 times on deep passes, with 10 receivers seeing more looks downfield, but was one of the best in the nation when the ball was thrown his way.
Yards per route run tracks the number of yards each receiver produced with regards to the number of routes they ran. Thomas ran 467 routes in his final year at Southern Miss and racked up 2.98 yards per route run — the fifth-highest mark in this class. On a per-route basis, Thomas was more productive than both Notre Dame’s Will Fuller and Ole Miss’ Laquon Treadwell, both who will potentially be drafted in the first round of the NFL draft.
Thomas can make plenty happen after the catch too, forcing nine missed tackles from 71 receptions and averaging 7.1 yards after the catch per reception. Yards after the catch are often impacted by the type of coverage a receiver faces, along with defensive backs taking bad angles. While that is true, you can see from this play against Washington in Southern Miss’ bowl game that Thomas also displays a good burst to create big plays after the catch.
Thomas has the ability to go up and bring the ball down, with numerous circus catches throughout 2015. Not all receivers can make these type of catches so routinely, with only a few receivers in the NFL being able to do so. Being able to increase his catch radius gives an added layer to what Thomas is able to do, as well as adding some wow factor to his film.
While Thomas is raw and not without his flaws, it’s madness to expect a receiver to come into the NFL polished given how open college offenses are these days. When a player like Amari Cooper comes into NFL looking like a complete prospect and has to adjust, that much should be obvious. But if a team can get past the rawness of Thomas, there’s a very good receiver who could prove to be the jewel of this draft class if he develops correctly.
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