High-rising prospects By John Murphy, Yahoo! Sports April 9, 2007 http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slu...yhoo&type=lgns NW Mississippi CC defensive tackle Walter Thomas If you ever wanted to know how to make 100 NFL scouts raise their eyebrows, set loose an unknown, 370-plus pound defensive tackle such as Thomas in late January. Thomas was highly recruited out of high school by most schools in the Big 12, and picked Oklahoma State where he stayed for just over a year before having academic issues. Thomas ended up at the JC level and thanks to him being a native of Galveston, Texas found his way into the Texas vs. the Nation All-Star Classic. He punished opposing defenders in one-on-one drills, using sheer strength, quickness off the ball and impressive balance for an athlete of his size. Thomas was also a sponge when it came to listening and taking to the coaching he received during the week. His recent workout numbers wowed even the most hardened scout as he measured in at nearly 6-5, 373 pounds; ran between 5.11 and 5.20 in the 40; has 33 bench reps of 225 pounds; and had 11?-inch hands. Players of his size and agility just do not come along often enough for teams to pass on him once the fifth round starts in spite of his limited game film, exposure to big-time competition and raw technique. Just think about this tidbit for a moment: he ran 1.70 in the first 10 yards of his 40. In comparison, one of USC wide receiver Dwayne Jarrett's 10-yard splits was 1.65 and Thomas weighs over 150 pounds more than Jarrett. ----- I have been giving this young kid who is only 20 years old, props since I saw a special with him on HBO. He is a true 370 pound not just fat, and quick for a man of that size. He is raw, very raw but he is young, very young. He was playing college ball at 16 years of age. For a price of a fifth round pick we could have a kid that could final stop the run for our 3-4. This draft is all chance but I say give this kid a chance. Why spend a 1st or 2nd round pick when we can have this kid for much less?
I am sure he is on the Jets radar. The question is in what round do the Jets pull the trigger and get him?
you guys are late, this was talked to death in the draft forum. hes really more like 330-340. still a big fella, but the guy has little to no experience. someone will jump on him in the late 5th or 6th rd though im sure. i guess it wouldnt hurt to take a chance, plus we need depth. but i wouldnt bank any hopes on this kid.
I started a thread on this kid a while back. There was some debate about his weight. The bottom line is that if he really is 370 and moves like that, we should take a chance. The reason I think we won't is because of the dreaded "Mangini guy" syndrome. We want smart guys and he failed out of school and was demoted to JC. But a very intriging prospect none the less.
I'll bet some team that uses a 3-4 defense will take a flier on him in Round 4 just due to his ridiculous size and quickness...
I want everyone to remember this dudes name, because after the draft you will never hear it again. I dont know why people are all over this guy he has BUM written all over him. He played football at a community college!
Just because he went to a Community College it doesn't mean he's a bum. Juran Bolden, a CB for Tampa went to Mississippi Delta CC. He's been in the NFL since 1996 and has become a very solid cornerback. Joe Horn has also been in the NFL since 1996 and has caught 576 passes. Plus he's earned quite a few Pro Bowl berths. Clinton Hart, a safety for San Diego who went to Central Florida CC has been in the league since 2003 and is an underrated special teamer and a very solid starter when given the oppurtunity. He might very well be their starter this season. He's been quite prodcutive statistically and scored twice in his career... I'm not saying that this guy is going to be Jamaal Williams and I doubt he sticks in the NFL, but why write him off so soon? With that size and quickness he has the potential to develop into something great. He's a bum for playing football at a community college? That makes somebody a bum?
A Really Big Man from a Small School 2007-nfl-draft Walter Thomas What does the 2005 NFL Draft have similar with the 2007 NFL Draft? There were/are two players from a community college that were/are major NFL Prospects. In the 2005 NFL Draft, Larry Brackins was from Pearl River Community College and was drafted in the 5th round (19th pick) by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Brackins tested positive for steroids and is not on the Bucs roster currently. This year in the 2007 NFL Draft there is a monster defensive tackle named Walter Thomas from Northwest Mississippi Community College. Thomas weighed 6' 5" 370 pounds at the Texas vs. Nation All-Star game, and can reportedly run in 4.8-4.9 range. He was heavily recruited, but left Oklahoma State early in his college career. Thomas Played in only two games this year for his tiny Community College, but completely and utterly dominated those games with 16 tackles, 9 tackles for loss and 4 sacks. Thomas is only a junior, so this young man has a lot of upside. He has been all the talk recently among NFL Scouts, and I have even heard some say he could be drafted as early as the 5th round in the 2007 NFL Draft.
His playing weight is around 370 which has been proven as recently as the Texas vs. the Nation All-Star Classic at which time he played at 373. A far cry from the 330-340 range. As stated he was on an HBO special in which they talked about his weight and size. He is the biggest man in the draft.
Honestly, how could you not spend a 4th or 5th round pick on this guy. I would hope we take a chance on this guy. And what's wrong with a 6-5 Noise Tackle??? Being 6-2 and 300 pounds doesn't mean you are going to get leverage.....
This team needs a wide body to put in the middle of our 3-4. The most successful 3-4 teams have always had that one centerpiece to plug the middle and we all know what a mistake Robertson was and what a waste all those draft picks and sh!t load of money we spent on him. We gave up two 1st rounders and a 4th for him, all I'm asking is a fith for a possibility of that one huge missing piece. I will give you Thomas is not the smartest person but we don't need a player with an IQ of 140, we need a BIG cork to plug the middle. An IQ of 14 could do that. I would't care if he scored a 0 on the wonderlic test.
dude, listen to yourself. you sound like a total madden freak... 1st of all: this guy will have to lose A LOT of weight. hes not going to be a 370 pound guy in the nfl. hes in terrible shape right now. 2ndly: the guy doesnt know how to play football. at all. 3rdly: hes not the smartest guy. moron + character issues = headcase 4thly: work ethic (huge concern) that being said he might be worth a 7th round pick. at best. i dont want him on my team though
