Devin Thomas (1 Viewer)

[Weiner Dog]

A nice sleeper for leagues awarding additional points for kick-return yardage...

link:

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/redskinsi...redskinsinsider

Longtime Redskins kickoff returner Rock Cartwright and veteran punt returner Antwaan Randle El were among 10 players released just hours before the start of the NFL's free agent signing period.

To this point in free agency, the Redskins have not signed specialists to replace Cartwright and Randle El. The team could move to fill those roles in the draft, or seek in-house options.

Regardless of who coached the team this season, the Redskins were expected to release Cartwright, who was due a base salary of $1.5 million. Even Cartwright acknowledged the Redskins were not likely to pay him that much, and the former team captain saw the handwriting on the wall when wide receiver Devin Thomas received reps on kickoff returns last season.

Thomas averaged 22 yards on 20 returns. He had long gain of 39 yards and 13 returns of at least 20 yards. As a senior at Michigan State, Thomas had a 29.1-yard average, ranking 11th in the nation.

Apparently, Coach Mike Shanahan believes Thomas, who finished last season as the starting Z receiver, might be the right guy for the full-time kickoff job.

"Devin Thomas could be our best returner. Obviously, he's starting at both positions [wide receiver and kickoff returner] right now," Shanahan said. "Will he continue to be that guy? I really don't know. I'm looking forward to going into these minicamps and get a chance to evaluate our guys and some of the guys we've got targeted in the draft."

 

[JPeso]

And Shanahan wants someone else for returns. Thomas and Kelly both have a huge chance this offseason to make an impact and earn Shanny's trust.

 

[Stitch]

I think this will be Thomas's breakout season. He was very raw coming into the league but has loads of talent. Shanahan will get the best out of this kid.

 

[EBF]

It will be Thomas or Kelly. Bear in mind that Kelly has been a practice superstar throughout his tenure in Washington and that he was actually ahead of Thomas on the depth chart to open last season. I feel like both guys have a real chance to win the job. Whoever emerges from the competition will be a pretty nice sleeper option.

 

[Bob Magaw]

thomas' highlights in college were impressive...

he was a one year wonder...

i think he bounced around a lot as a prep (did he also go JUCO route?)...

he may not be a diligent student or have an outstanding work ethic (there were rumblings about that as a rookie)...

but if the light goes on, he is talented... he has size, speed, athleticism and potentially very good RAC and open field running/playmaking ability...

i agree kelly could also emerge... not as fast, but could be better than a possession WR... he could be that, too, but i think he can be sneaky fast (did he run a slow 40 time?) and get downfield at times... he has outstanding hands, can highpoint the ball, field awareness, body control and the feet to work the sidelines and be a red zone threat... he has better size than thomas... mayock said around the draft that multiple teams took kelly off their boards due to hinky knees... than his rookie year was a washout, spooking people further, and causing some to write him off...

they were talked about last year, too... they both flashed, but didn't get a lot of opportunity...

randle-el is gone... moss isn't getting younger, so perhaps both could start eventually...

both second rounders from same '08 draft (thomas 2.3 & kelly 2.20)...

most people (mayock included, i think), had thomas as the consensus best WR in the class... it was the first in many years (decade or more?) where a WR wasn't taken in the 1st round... avery went at 2.2, and thomas right behind him (of course, the best WR from that class is desean jackson, who PHI stole, also in the 2nd).

i favor thomas to win the job, but not necessarily by a lot... if he is flaky, and doesn't run consistent routes, he hasn't really distinguished himself to the point that he can't play himself out of a job... but shanahan may be very confident in his scouting ability... and if he does like him a lot, hopefully he can coach him up, and position him to succeed...

i am also curious & hopeful about what thomas might do with shanahan as a mentor. no question he has tons of raw talent and natural ability...

if things break right, he could have a top 20 season, with eventual top 10 upside...

but who is going to throw him the ball?

i would feel better about campbell than grossman...

clausen could hurt his value this year... longer term?????

 

[Young 8]

They need a QB

 

[offdee]

There's lots of talk about the Skins adding a veteran WR....T.O. and Brandon Marshall's names have been thrown around quite a bit.

 

[loose circuits]

Anyone think Marko Mitchell has the skills to get in this race? He had decent college production albeit in a gimmicky offense. He also had pretty good combine numbers. There was talk about him making plays in practice last season as well...

 

[Ministry of Pain]

Based on how Shanny released a lot of the roster, and just based on the fact he is going to be there for awhile, IMHO I wouldn't put a lot of stock in many players currently on the roster. Over the next 2-3 drafts the entire roster will get turned over, guys like Thomas are interesting but I could also make a case that Washington's WR1 and WR2 in 2012 aren't even on the roster as of today.

Just my .02

 

[doowain]

Marko Mitchell is the play here.

 

[JPeso]

They need a QB

Easy to say this, but Campbell can be a viable short-term option.

 

[Nagle2998]

They need a QB

Easy to say this, but Campbell can be a viable short-term option.

I don't think there is a Qb that I can remember who has had to deal with the stuff Campbell has had to since he came into the league. It seems like he has to learn a new offense every year and sometimes it takes a while to not just learn the offense but to get into a rhythm and IMO he has done very well considering. He always seems to have problems on his Oline and his offensive weapons haven't been the best yet his completion percentage keeps getting better. I'm not a Skins fan or Campbell owner but I think if Shanny stuck with him for more then a year he could become a very good Qb but I also took Leaf over Manning in my first dynasty league so what do I know.

 

[JPeso]

They need a QB

Easy to say this, but Campbell can be a viable short-term option.

I don't think there is a Qb that I can remember who has had to deal with the stuff Campbell has had to since he came into the league. It seems like he has to learn a new offense every year and sometimes it takes a while to not just learn the offense but to get into a rhythm and IMO he has done very well considering. He always seems to have problems on his Oline and his offensive weapons haven't been the best yet his completion percentage keeps getting better. I'm not a Skins fan or Campbell owner but I think if Shanny stuck with him for more then a year he could become a very good Qb but I also took Leaf over Manning in my first dynasty league so what do I know.

At least your honest. I have defended him every offseason for the reasons you have stated above, but after this past year I'm off. Even so, he will likely go for 3,600 and get his WRs the ball if they mature.

 

[burgundy and gold]

Thomas began to come on at the end of last season. He showed flashes of his big play ability. Given the dismal state of the oline no skill players on that offense were able to do much more than a minimum of playmaking. Everybody had to know that Thomas was raw coming out. I understood that it would take a good 3-4 years for him to begin producing fantasy-wise. Mark my words ... If the Redskins were the Matrix, Devin Thomas would be The One! When the smoke clears he ... will be a top 10 guy.

 

[dgreen]

Anyone think Marko Mitchell has the skills to get in this race? He had decent college production albeit in a gimmicky offense. He also had pretty good combine numbers. There was talk about him making plays in practice last season as well...

He was a fan favorite last year. He did some good things against bad players preseason. He saw some action during the regular season, but not much. Since everything was a mess with this organization last year, it's hard to know if his playing time was about him or about something else. Many rumors spread around that Vinny and Danny made decisions on who played and how much. That being said, some pretty good local reporters said Mitchell was just too raw last year. He didn't run great routes and that's why he didn't get to play much.