From NFL.com
Strengths
- Good job of steering clear of press hands during his release.
- Short-area shake helps uncover for quick hitters underneath.
- Able to bend hips and sit in the chair at route breaks.
- Straight-line speed takes him into top position on go routes.
- Outstanding ball-tracker who can bring it in over his shoulder.
- Length and burst to run down and secure potential overthrows.
- Led nation with 17 receiving scores at a pace of one every four catches.
Weaknesses
- Needs to pick up his route pace and salesmanship as a pro.
- Will battle occasional focus drops.
- Can avoid catch contact by working back to the throw.
- Fast but possesses average run-after-catch talent.
- Might need to ramp up physicality against clingy coverage.
From Bleacherreport.com
POSITIVES
— Great acceleration and top speed. Serious vertical threat both outside and from the slot.
— Good ability to win at the line of scrimmage and stack on top of defensive backs.
— Fluid mover for a player of his size. Navigates the open field very well.
— Above-average ability to track and catch the ball down the field.
— Flashes of snappy route-running, especially on simple one-cut routes.
NEGATIVES
— Footwork and coordination fail him at times. Gets too loose with his feet at the top of routes that ask him to settle and explode back to the ball.
— Below-average ability to fight through contact for a player his size.
— Can struggle to find and fight for the ball in traffic. Better as a vertical ball tracker than a contested catch player.
From NFLbuzz.com
SCOUTING REPORT: STRENGTHS
- Exceptional ability to start and stop quickly, showcasing agility and control.
- Boasts outstanding length, providing an advantage in reaching and securing the ball.
- Demonstrates natural explosiveness, aiding in creating separation.
- Moves fluidly, enhancing route-running capabilities.
- Exhibits violent change of direction, making him elusive after the catch.
- Proves to be a formidable red-zone target with his ability to high-point the ball effectively.
- Has an impressive repertoire of releases, helping to beat press coverage.
- Exhibits excellent ball-tracking skills, consistently posing a threat on downfield passes.
SCOUTING REPORT: WEAKNESSES
- Route breaks on short and intermediate routes can be inefficient.
- While a vertical and crossing route threat, he shows an underdeveloped overall route tree.
- Long limbs and unsteady footwork occasionally lead to inconsistent route breaks.
- Needs to utilize his speed and athleticism more effectively to uncover against defenders.
- Still in the process of becoming a more physical presence along the route stem.
- Only has had a single year of being the featured player at college. Prior to 2023 his play was far from noteworthy
From SportsIllustraded.com
Where Thomas creates advantages
Thomas's athletic profile is one of the most intriguing in this entire draft class, let alone at just the wide receiver position. He's a tantalizing jump ball and/or deep threat, as he boasts good length blended with good timing on his leaps. Additionally, Thomas is competitive at the catch point and has strong hands when he goes up for the ball. Those hands are mostly dependable. His 17 touchdowns during his final collegiate season led the nation — a testament to his true breakout campaign.
Despite his size, Thomas doesn't have much rigidity in his game. His stop-start ability is plus, giving him nice yards-after-catch potential at the next level. His early meal ticket in the NFL should be winning in the red zone and creating plays within 10 yards of the line of scrimmage. He seemed to have good long speed on tape, which was backed up by an awesome performance at the annual NFL Scouting Combine.
Where Thomas could be at a disadvantage
While Thomas is undoubtedly an enticing prospect, he lacks high-level nuance as a route runner. At LSU, he didn't run an expansive route tree and had few chances to showcase a ton of diversity with Malik Nabers occupying so much attention. Thomas shows flashes of varying tempo in his routes but needs consistency there. His routes get rounded off at times; that's hopefully a reflection of youth rather than a real lack of ability to sink and set ideally.
Thomas doesn't play like an alpha-dog wideout in all facets of the game. Throughout the rep, he doesn't always do well with hand fighting and sometimes plays smaller than he actually is. His ball tracking needs some work. His separation profile is spotty. One noticeable development on film was inconsistent concentration. Was that an effort issue or related to something else? Thomas's tape gave off faint shades of Pittsburgh Steelers wideout George Pickens (who has turned into a very quality NFL pass-catcher, for the record).
From Draft Network
Strengths:
- Vertical speed
- Tracking deep ball
- Catch radius
Concerns:
- Beating press-man
- Running entire route tree
From PFF
Thomas is the kind of player every offense wants for their vertical passing game plans. A former football and basketball star in high school, he is a big, tall and fast vertical threat who forces the defense to be honest about his ability to get behind them. His footwork and flexibility are fast and fluid for a big man.
From 2022-23, his releases became more effective at creating separation. He is also a willing and competitive blocker. He posted a career-high catch percentage in 2023, and that needs to continue moving forward.
From Profootballnetwork
Strengths
- Streamlined WR with elite length and efficient mass and is a premier athlete at his size.
- Stack specialist with superlative explosiveness and speed working the vertical plane.
- Has the long speed to create and sustain vertical separation, generating big plays.
- Energetic, flexible long-strider who can vaporize tackling angles with his acceleration.
- Crisp foot speed and agility allows him to off-set DBs with split and foot-fire releases.
- Has good zone awareness and can use bend to keep speed while splicing into lanes.
- Has the fluidity to cut double-moves at incredibly acute angles, leaving DBs in the lurch.
- Can be intentional with his body lean at stems and capitalize with sharp flexibility.
- Has shown he can use his length to wall off DBs while tracking deep passes vertically.
- Flashes elite focus, body control, and hand-eye coordination in contested situations.
- Naturally tracks the ball over his shoulder and can guide passes in without much space.
- Authoritatively attacks the ball in the air with his reach, winning routinely at the point.
- Has the awareness to adapt and create second-wave separation on scramble drills.
- Makes quick RAC transitions and can use tempo modulations to swim past defenders.
- Can be schemed RAC opportunities with long-strider speed and has crafty fluidity.
Weaknesses
- Has a relatively underdeveloped route tree past verticals, crossers, and drags.
- Head fakes and stop-and-start moves aren’t always abrupt or deliberate enough to sell.
- Can be a bit more consistent at fully pressing upfield into stems with his vertical speed.
- Sometimes loses his balance when attempting to sink and hinge around on hitches.
- Still learning how to stay controlled while channeling high-energy athleticism at stems.
- Longer limbs make it harder to manage plant-and-drive footwork on sharp route breaks.
- Still learning how to use targeted physicality in conjunction on releases and at stems.
- At times, keeps hands too wide when attacking, which can source catch-point instability.
- At times comes overtop and wrenches down high passes too much, increasing drop risk.
- Has good RAC physicality but doesn’t have high-end play strength or contact balance.
- Shows glimpses of great hustle and physicality as a blocker but can be more consistent.
From WalterFooball
Strengths:
- Tall receiver
- Fast; can go vertical
- Presents mismatch ability with size or speed
- Playmaker
- Explosive speed to get vertical
- Threat to rip off a chunk gain on any reception
- Deceptive speed
- Burst to get downfield
- Maintains speed throughout the route
- Quick release off of the line
- First-step quickness
- Challenges the defense downfield
- Body control
- Quick feet
- Leaping ability
- Very good on contested catches
- Dangerous to win 50-50 passes
- Skill set of a No. 1 receiver for the NFL
Weaknesses:
- Doesn’t play to size
- Not a good route runner
- Not tough
- Drops passes
40 time: 4.33
17 TD's (1st in CFB)
