Daniel Thomas (1 Viewer)

[eakfootball]

Mayock rates him the #2 RB in the draftRunning back: *1. Mark Ingram, Alabama2. Daniel Thomas, Kansas State*3. Mikel LeShoure, Illinois*4. Ryan Williams, Virginia Tech*T-5. Jacquizz Rodgers, Oregon StateT-5. Kendall Hunter, Oklahoma State

I tend to take what Mayock says, and figure the exact oppisite is true.

 

[snakeinthegrass]

Thomas ran a 4.59 forty at his pro day workout yesterday.......

 

[eaglesfan7]

Yes he did but he only ran it once. He said he couldn't go a second 40 because of a strained quad.

 

[eaglesfan7]

Yes he did but he only ran it once. He said he couldn't go a second 40 because of a strained quad.

 

[DansRams]

A 4.6 40 is all I needed to see (beyond what I've seen) IMO Thomas will be a nice low end rb2 within a couple of yrs and could be even better if he is drafted in a zone bocking system. He isn't special at anything, but at 6'0 228 he is capable of carrying the load and he has decent hands out of the backfield making him capable of being a 3 down back. I would expect him to get drafted in the latter half of the 1st round of many ff rookie drafts and in the late 2nd to late 3rd of the NFL draft.

Best teams for him to be drafted by

3rd round to Miami if they don't pick Ingram in the first (they dont have a 2nd)

NE - IMO he is an upgrade over law firm

ST Louis as the eventual replacement of S Jax

Wash (best situation) where he would be in a zone blocking system that would best fit his style

 

[The Berry Man]

I'd say he's a little too tall for NFL RB's. Add that to the fact that he runs upright and doesn't have much burst or top end speed.He reminds me of Jamal Lewis. More of a plodder (dare I say Fullback) than a top tier RB. 3 yards and a cloud of dust kind of guy.Now that I say that, he will go on to have a hall of fame career.

He is an inch taller than Foster. How much of a difference can that make?

I'm just saying there have been few "tall" RB's to have great careers. I think Eddie George may be the last one to come to mind. Most are between 5'10" and 6'. Heck, nowadays the average is probably between 5'8" and 5'10" with RB's like MJD, JC, Ray Rice, etc.His build just kinda reminds me of Jamal Lewis. J-Lew had a couple nice seasons but for the most part was a plodder. RB's built like them tend to take more punishment and therefore wear down quicker. I just don't think he's shifty enough to be successful in the NFL. Foster has a little shiftiness to him. When I've watched Thomas play, it's almost like he just drops his head and runs straight ahead. That will get him killed in the NFL. Plus, if I'm not mistaken, didn't Thomas struggle against the better defenses in the Big 12?

This past season's top RBs (top 30 in rushing yards) in his height range (6'1+):Arian Foster - 6'1"Adrian Peterson - 6'1"Steven Jackson - 6'2"Peyton Hillis - 6'1"Darren McFadden - 6'2"Matt Forte - 6'2"Fred Jackson - 6'1"Brandon Jacobs - 6'4"Ryan Torain - 6'1"That is 9 of the top 30 who are at least 6'1". That number would increase by 3 or 4 if you put the limit at 6'0". Tall RBs are not neccesarily uncommon these days....

I started to do the same thing, but the work to bring facts to posters who just mouth off "views" that aren't factual gets annoying.

LOL...it's obvious you have man love for Thomas. I think it's cute.However, are those heights listed their "program" heights or actual heights? Meaning, if I were to stand next to them (me being 5'10") would they be about my same height or an inch or two taller? And if I'm dropping a pick on a top 3-4 rookie dynasty pick I want something more than "top 30" production.Let's look at the RB's that matter. Here are the top 20 RB's from 2010 according to CBS sportsline:1) Arian Foster - 6'1"2) Jamaal Charles - 5'11"3) Michael Turner - 5'10"4) Chris Johnson - 5'11"5) MJD - 5'7"6) AP - 6'1"7) Rashard Mendenhall - 5'10"8) Steven Jackson - 6'2"9) Ahmad Bradshaw - 5'9"10) Ray Rice - 5'8"11) Peyton Hillis (he may ride off into the sunset this year) - 6'2"12) DMC - (injury prone but fast) - 6'2"13) Cedric Benson - 5'11"14) Lesean McCoy - 5'10"15) Matt Forte - 6'2"16) BJGE - 5'11"17) Legarrette Blount - 6'2"18) Fred Jackson - 6'1"19) LT - 5'1020) Thomas Jones - 5'10"So 8 out of 20 are 6' or taller and only 3 out of the top 10.Here are the top 20 RB's of "all-time":1) Emmitt Smith - 5'10"2) Walter Payton - 5'10"3) Barry Sanders - 5'8"4) Eric Dickerson - 6'3"5) Tony Dorsett - 5'11"6) Jerome Bettis - 5'11"7) Jim Brown - 6'2"8) Marcus Allen - 6'2"9) Franco Harris - 6'2"10) Thurman Thomas - 5'10"11) Curtis Martin - 5'11"12) John Riggins - 6'2"13) O.J. Simpson - 6'2"14) Marshall Faulk - 5'10"15) Ricky Watters - 6'1"16) O.J. Anderson - 6'2"17) Eddie George - 6'3"18) Joe Perry - 6'19) Earl Campbell - 5'11"20) Terry Allen - 5'11"Historically it is split. 10 players 6'+ and 10 players under 6'. But only 4 in the top 10. Could be a change in philosphy. Back in the day, coaches may have preferred bigger backs since it was a more basic "black and blue" league. I'll admit that the numbers are closer than I first suspected. I'm still certain that the majority of "starting" backs in the NFL are UNDER 6'. Thomas needs to blaze a 40 time (4.5 or lower) at the comine to get a legit shot. And 4.5 is average...kinda like him.

Do you have any kind of evidence that the height has anything to do with performance? For all you know this list could reflect a normal distribution of %'s of what height people are. This is a pretty excellent job of finding random data and just saying it supports a conclusion that it does not.

 

[BigTex]

LOL, what I find funny is that not too many years ago 5'9 was considered too short in the NFL. Now 6'0 or taller is too tall.

When will the madness stop?

 

[coolnerd]

LOL, what I find funny is that not too many years ago 5'9 was considered too short in the NFL. Now 6'0 or taller is too tall.

When will the madness stop?

It won't. Too many really smart people spend too mcuh time trying find the short cut in prospect evaluation...i.e. not watching football.

 

[identikit]

LOL, what I find funny is that not too many years ago 5'9 was considered too short in the NFL. Now 6'0 or taller is too tall.

When will the madness stop?

It won't. Too many really smart people spend too mcuh time trying find the short cut in prospect evaluation...i.e. not watching football.

 

[Blackjacks]

Outside of Mike Myock, I don't see this guy anywhere near the top 5 Rb'sAnyone have any info on him? Let's do a little name game also, just comparing purely on talentDaniel Thomas or...- Forte without the catching ability (atleast I haven't seen it)Ryan Williams- DeAngelo WilliamsShane Vareen- Justin ForsettMikel LeShoure- Steven JacksonNoel Devine- Darren SprolesDemarco Murray- much much much less talented Darren McFaddenGraig Cooper- Amp Lee (old school)Johnny White- never seenTaiwan Jones- never seenMark Ingram- Emmitt SmithAnd can someone categorize them by their style?? (e.g. small/catch and run would go under the "Brian Westbrook type", big/all around "Darren McFadden type", big/run-you-over "Brandon Jacob", small/boulderish "MJD")

 

[eaglesfan7]

Here's a scouting report on him:

Strengths:

Big, physical, downhill runner. Tremendously productive in two years at Kansas State despite playing behind a weak offensive line. Doesn’t shy away from contact; capable of lowering his shoulder and running over defensive backs. Some experience as a receiver out of the backfield.

Weaknesses:

Runs too upright, invites too many hits and limits his ability to make guys miss. Barely even attempts to participate as a blocker. Speed is very average; won’t be a home-run hitter at the next level. Strictly a downhill runner; rarely bounces anything to the outside. Struggled academically throughout college; may have issues with NFL playbook.

Comments:

Thomas has the potential to be a workhorse running back, however, there are enough holes in his game that it would be difficult to take him before the 3rd or 4th round. Few running backs with his upright, downhill style make it at the next level. However, his size certainly makes him an intriguing prospect.

 

[Sudoku_in_the_Bathtub]

More talk of the too short to play RB talk by a bunch of armchairs.