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The Bears on Wednesday agreed to terms with receiver Devin Thomas on a one-year contract.
Thomas spent his first four NFL seasons with the Redskins (2008-10), Panthers (2010) and Giants (2010-11), catching 43 passes for 482 yards and three touchdowns while appearing in 55 games with 11 starts.
JOHN "MOON" MULLIN wrote:
The 2012 offseason for the Bears began with wide receiver as a top priority, the most common debate topic being whether or not they would select Notre Dame wide receiver Michael Floyd or Baylor’s Kendall Wright with the 19th-overall pick of the April draft.
That likelihood lessened first with the trade with the Miami Dolphins for Brandon Marshall, then with the signing of receiver/returner Eric Weems from the Atlanta Falcons.
Those have now been followed by a third wideout addition this offseason as the Bears signed former New York Giants wide receiver Devin Thomas to a one-year contract late Wednesday.
Thomas is still only 25 years old, so we suppose there’s still time for the light to flip. He ran forty times of 4.32 and 4.34 at the 2008 Combine, measuring in at 6-foot-2, 215.
Devin Thomas
6'2" 216
40 time: 4.43
BIOGRAPHY: Junior-college transfer coming off a breakout season. Led the team in receiving last year with 79/1260/8 and was awarded All-Conference honors. Had six receptions as a sophomore.
POSITIVES: Large, athletic prospect coming off a breakout junior campaign. Solid pass-catcher who uses his frame to shield away opponents and extends to make the reception away from his body. Sells routes, adjusts to the errant throw, and displays a nice sense of timing. Possesses good eye/hand coordination and makes the tough catch in contorted positions. Knows where he is on the field, finds the soft spot in the defense, and resilient running after the reception. Keeps the play alive and tries to pick up as much yardage as possible. Gets vertical out-jumping defenders and pulls the ball from the air.
NEGATIVES: Displays marginal sharpness running routes. Lacks the second gear and really does not play to his timed speed.
ANALYSIS: Thomas is a terrific athlete and a sure-handed receiver who also makes the big play downfield. He really hit his stride last year. He possesses a good amount of upside potential and his draft stock is moving north. Thomas must learn to do the little things well, but he should develop into a number one receiver at the next level.
Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/footba ... z1qVa2si8d
Analysis
Positives: Has an outstanding frame with very good muscle development, especially in his arms and chest...Has long, cut limbs with a lean waist, muscular, cut-up legs and room to add more bulk without having it impact his impressive timed speed...Has very good agility, balance and flexibility, but needs to work on adjusting his feet better working along the sidelines...Shows toughness fighting for the ball in traffic and is a physical route runner who likes to run through tackles (gets in trouble when he tries to get fancy and execute fakes, though)...Has the quickness to get in and out of his breaks and the strength to absorb punishment going up for the ball in a crowd...Will lay out to make the catch and showed marked improvement in working back to the ball...Explosive breakaway threat with impressive leaping ability, as he shows good explosion coming off the line, using his hands well to escape press coverage...Also uses strength over quickness to escape the jam, but is adequate using an array of moves to elude defenders...Has the burst to get in and out of his cuts, along with the speed and feet to get separation...Even though he has long limbs, he runs with short, quick feet...Especially effective on underneath passes and crossing patterns, as he separates quickly from the defender in the open, showing that second gear needed to gain yardage after the catch...Has good strength to power through on his initial release and gets a strong push off the line of scrimmage...Moves upfield quickly after busting the jam and is very physical with the defensive backs to defeat the press...Needs a bit of deep route polish, but has a good feel running solid short-to-intermediate routes (still needs to sit down in coverage better)...Has the arm power to push off and uncover trying to get open and is very tough and physical when accelerating upfield and this allows him to break tackles...Shows excellent linear speed and the upfield moves needed to break free from tacklers after the catch...Has the lateral agility and foot movements to slip past off coverage and gets proper separation from the defenders on underneath routes...Plucks and extends for the ball outside his frame...His height, strength and long arms give him an advantage taking on tacklers in a crowd...Times his leaps well and rather wait for the pass, he attacks the ball at its high point...Very fluid in his running stride, keeping his balance to power through arm tackles (will take a bit of time getting back to top speed when he stops to make the catch, though) as he won't go down easy, fighting hard for extra yardage...Has the strength to overpower second level defenders when asked to block on the move, but is not as effective when blocking in-line...Despite his speed, he is a patient kickoff returner who follows his blocks well and shows good pad level running with the ball...Might be a good fit as a slot receiver, due to his combination of size, strength and speed that are sure to create mismatches vs. the defense's sub package.
Negatives: Has very good timed speed and is quick into his routes, but needs to do a better job of uncovering and tracking the ball on deep routes (struggles at times to snatch the ball over his outside shoulder)...Must do a better job of keeping his feet in bounds when operating along the sidelines...Despite his quickness, it takes him some time to get back to speed when he tries to turn and run after making the catch...Must use his raw power better to break arm tackles, as he tries to get too fancy with his fakes and moves after the catch in attempts to elude rather than power through...Still learning how to set up defenders and needs to do a better job of sitting down in coverage...Has large hands and good arm reach to extend for the ball, but when he doesn't attack the ball or tries to body catch, most of his drops occur...Effective cut blocker, but does not play up to his size and strength when blocking in-line (needs to sustain and finish better)...Might struggle trying to digest a complicated playbook (just adequate with the mental aspect of the game). And needs to do a better job of reading coverages (will run into spots, at times).
Compares To: KOREN ROBINSON-Green Bay...A physical player with very good strength and timed speed, Thomas is still a bit raw as a route runner, but uses his size to shield the ball from the defender. He is very effective as a kickoff returner, as he has the straight-line speed and patience to squeeze through the wedge for big yardage. With his impressive physique, he could be an inviting target over the middle, as he will not hesitate to mix it up with a defender. However, with his burst and running stride, he can also challenge the deep secondary. He will still need time to develop better pattern running skills, but he has enough in his package to contribute as a rookie.
fleet wrote:^^^with those accolades and scouting reports, he must have a problem between the ears. I think he's more interested in grooming and modeling than football practice.
fleet wrote:^^^Koren Robinson wow. Even Koren Robinson never became Koren Robinson.
with those accolades and scouting reports, he must have a problem between the ears. I think he's more interested in grooming and modeling than football practice. This is not an aquisition that should stop the Bears from drafting Floyd if he falls to 19. I don't understand what John "Moon" Mullin is talking about.
Magilla_Gorilla wrote:fleet wrote:^^^Koren Robinson wow. Even Koren Robinson never became Koren Robinson.
with those accolades and scouting reports, he must have a problem between the ears. I think he's more interested in grooming and modeling than football practice. This is not an aquisition that should stop the Bears from drafting Floyd if he falls to 19. I don't understand what John "Moon" Mullin is talking about.
I didn't understand it when they said the Weems signing would strengthen the receiving corps either. Weems is nothing more than a Hail Mary package guy.
That said - Like I mention in my other post - I think the Bears are looking at the 3rd and 4th WR as the 5th and 6th guys on the team in terms of receptions/priorities. Unless Floyd falls to them - I could see them liking Bennett as the number 2, and then utilizing K Davis much more in the passing game and have him as the defacto #3.
I'm a huge K Davis fan, loved his potential coming out of Michigan State, and I'm hoping this is the year he really puts it all together. He's a tremendous athlete, and I'd love to see the Bears trade down and pair Davis with Coby Fleener.
Cliff Levingston wrote:Magilla_Gorilla wrote:fleet wrote:^^^Koren Robinson wow. Even Koren Robinson never became Koren Robinson.
with those accolades and scouting reports, he must have a problem between the ears. I think he's more interested in grooming and modeling than football practice. This is not an aquisition that should stop the Bears from drafting Floyd if he falls to 19. I don't understand what John "Moon" Mullin is talking about.
I didn't understand it when they said the Weems signing would strengthen the receiving corps either. Weems is nothing more than a Hail Mary package guy.
That said - Like I mention in my other post - I think the Bears are looking at the 3rd and 4th WR as the 5th and 6th guys on the team in terms of receptions/priorities. Unless Floyd falls to them - I could see them liking Bennett as the number 2, and then utilizing K Davis much more in the passing game and have him as the defacto #3.
I'm a huge K Davis fan, loved his potential coming out of Michigan State, and I'm hoping this is the year he really puts it all together. He's a tremendous athlete, and I'd love to see the Bears trade down and pair Davis with Coby Fleener.
Marshall is obviously the #1. Bennett is the slot guy but he's the #2 in terms of production. They just need someone opposite Marshall on the outside mostly to stretch the field. It's really the same format the Bills have with Steve Johnson (#1 outside) and David Nelson (#2 in the slot) as their primary guys with a burner (Donald Jones) opposite Johnson.
It looks like they expect Marshall, Hester and Bennett to be the primary guys. However, having Weems and Thomas as special teams guys first, would it really be a travesty to see Sanzenbacher cut to make room for a receiver in the draft? Probably not. So, either they plan on grabbing a WR in the draft somewhere and giving him Dane's spot, or they'll avoid receiver altogether and feel confident in their Marshall/Hester/Bennett trio in concert with Kellen Davis at TE.
Magilla_Gorilla wrote:I'm a huge K Davis fan, loved his potential coming out of Michigan State, and I'm hoping this is the year he really puts it all together. He's a tremendous athlete, and I'd love to see the Bears trade down and pair Davis with Coby Fleener.
BIGGIEsmalls 23 wrote:Magilla_Gorilla wrote:I'm a huge K Davis fan, loved his potential coming out of Michigan State, and I'm hoping this is the year he really puts it all together. He's a tremendous athlete, and I'd love to see the Bears trade down and pair Davis with Coby Fleener.
Agreed.
In our Superbowl game, I mentioned how Davis has not really had a chance to show his ability. His time here has had him fighting for minutes with Desmond Clark & Greg Olsen ahead of him in the pecking order, then he was forced to play in the Mike Martz system once Clark & Olsen were out of his way.
I personally think that he can be a stud.
"When you put everything on the table from the different teams, Chicago was definitely a great fit for me as far as coming in and contributing right away at receiver, something I've been longing to do for awhile," Thomas said Thursday on "The Waddle & Silvy Show" on ESPN 1000. "I should have a great opportunity to do that."
The wideout has made his biggest impact in the NFL on special teams. He recovered two key fumbles for New York in last season's NFC Championship Game against the San Francisco 49ers.
"Special teams is something I feel like I can always contribute as, but I'm definitely here to be a receiver, and I'm looking forward to working with (quarterback) Jay (Cutler) and making things happen," he said.
Thomas has 43 career receptions for 482 yards and three touchdowns.
While at Michigan State, Thomas set a school record with 79 receptions as a junior before deciding to forgo his senior season for the NFL draft.
transplant wrote:The obvious reaction is that Thomas isn't going to be an impact player on offense. I mean, what's he been doing for the past 3 seasons? If he's any good, why have 3 teams let him get away?
Good reasons to be skeptical.
Still, the guy was a high 2nd, was terrific in his last season at MSU and is only 25. He's big, physical, has good hands and some speed. His success on special teams tells me he's a football player.
Good reasons to be optimistic.
Last season, the Bears took flyers on Vernon Gholston and Amobi Okoye, both of whom had big-time pedigree coming out of college, but had done little in the pros. Gholston proved to be an enigma as advertised. Okoye looked like a player. Thomas is a similar risk, except that the worst case is a good special teams player.
Net, solid signing with significant potential upside. Me likee.
transplant wrote:The obvious reaction is that Thomas isn't going to be an impact player on offense. I mean, what's he been doing for the past 3 seasons? If he's any good, why have 3 teams let him get away?
Good reasons to be skeptical.
Still, the guy was a high 2nd, was terrific in his last season at MSU and is only 25. He's big, physical, has good hands and some speed. His success on special teams tells me he's a football player.
Good reasons to be optimistic.
Last season, the Bears took flyers on Vernon Gholston and Amobi Okoye, both of whom had big-time pedigree coming out of college, but had done little in the pros. Gholston proved to be an enigma as advertised. Okoye looked like a player. Thomas is a similar risk, except that the worst case is a good special teams player.
Net, solid signing with significant potential upside. Me likee.
ReddWing wrote:Being a fan of this team is tantamount to being in hell...There is no Christ that is coming to save us. Even if there was, we'd trade him for a 28 year old wing.