Chicago Bears draft prospects: Wide receivers
Michael Thomas (6-foot-3, 215 pounds) — Ohio State
Thomas had an interesting route to the NFL. He was not highly recruited coming out of high school, so he decided to attend Fork Union Military Academy (FUMA), which has a post-graduate program for high school graduates who want to refine their athletic skills.
After attending FUMA, Thomas was considered a four-star recruit and had offers from Ohio State, Notre Dame and Oklahoma State.
Thomas led the National Champion-Buckeyes with 54 catches and 799 yards (and 9 touchdowns) in 2014. He followed that up with 56 catches and 781 yards (and 9 touchdowns) in 2015.
Thomas has the body many teams want in their receivers. He is strong and has good hands. He makes catches away from his body, and can outwork defenders on 50/50 balls. He had just four dropped passes in 2015. That comes in handy as Cutler has a tendency to throw the ball up for grabs.
Thomas does not possess great vertical speed or explosion, but has great footwork, and he runs crisp routes. He can get defenders to lean and commit in one direction, then move the opposite way effectively.
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I believe Thomas is one of those players who will look better as a pro than he looks now. He can blossom into a very good player. He will not blow past defenders, but will be an excellent possession receiver.
Even though he is already a pretty big receiver, once he hits the weights as a professional, he can turn out to be a Brandon Marshall type of receiver. Fans love the big play, but a possession receiver who is dependable on the little things as well as the big ones is the one who will get your offense going and scoring points.
Thomas is the type of player who will just work until he gets the job done. He does not prioritize attention over winning. He will do whatever he needs to do to win, be it receiving, running or blocking.
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If Thomas is available in the second round, the Chicago Bears need to pick him up, though he may be gone in the first round.