The reason we downgraded thomas pre draft was his college production which was good when called upon but didn't have the volume. We could measure his physical ability but didn't know if he had the skills.
The reason the glowing reviews from minicamps, training camps and his first pre season game matter is that they give us more and more confirmation that he has the skill to match his physical ability. He's not just big and fast, he knows how to play.
A couple months ago when he was working with brees he wanted to make a sight adjustment. They had never taught this to him or discussed it. Brees looked at him, thomas gave him a nod, and they adjusted correctly and hit the play perfectly.
Those kinds of reports are more important than him making a couple really nice catches last night. It helps to see him succeed against someone other than the saints secondary, but the more important thing is that he knows how to play and he is good at it. It answers the biggest question we had about him.
The biggest questions about coleman was his size and route running. About shepard his size and role with obj getting all the attention. About treadwell his speed. About doctson his late development and crowded position in washington and now his injury. Coleman has already answered some of those questions - and small, jumpy, fast receivers are doing well in the nfl right now the way the rules are today. Shepard sounds better than i expected. I still question how big he can be opposite obj but he could be a 1a receiver the way people are talking him up. Exciting stuff. Treadwell and doctson haven't had the chance to really answer their questions yet, but theyre really good too. I would be happy with any of them, but thomas has joined the top group in a big way.