2010 Draft Spotlight: Earl Thomas – FS – Texas

By Simon Clancy

Earl Thomas is one of the most fascinating prospects in the 2010 NFL Draft. Well recruited out of high school where he excelled at tailback, receiver, returner and in the secondary, his stock has risen quickly since announcing his intentions to go pro as a redshirt sophomore. He started all 26 games at Texas, flipping between free and strong safety, although all 13 of his final season starts came on the strong side. He’s a player who splits opinions; no-one denies his natural athletic ability, borne out both at the Combine and the UT pro day, but concerns over his size haven’t disappeared. Weighing in at 208 in Indianapolis and 203 at the Longhorns pro day, he admitted to a playing weight of between 198 and 202lbs.

NFL Network’s respected draft analyst Mike Mayock rates him above Tennessee’s vaunted Eric Berry and teams seem to be split on who the better prospect is. Some prefer him at corner, a position he’s lined up at on a number of occasions for Texas because of his speed, size, natural athletic ability and ball skills, whereas others view him as the best pass defending safety to enter the draft since Ed Reed in 2002.

So let’s get right to the biggest issue which is tackling. Chris uses a very good term to describe him which is ‘first responder’. And he’s right; he’s very active in and around the pile and will often finish off a tackle. He’s usually the first man to aid the first man if you like. He’s the clean up man for the eliminator. Where he doesn’t excel is as the eliminator itself. It’s not that he’s tentative or timid with contact as you’ll see; in fact he will come up and lay the lumber attacking the line of scrimmage or down the field in coverage. It’s more that the physicality part of his game is not in the same class as an Eric Berry or a Chad Jones.

Before we go any further I should point out that Thomas lines up almost exclusively at strong safety throughout this tape in case you don’t automatically notice him.

So scroll forwards from the beginning to 1.05 and the game against Texas Tech. He’s uncovered to the strong side of the formation, although relatively close to the line of scrimmage. Before any contact is made you’ll see what has people so fascinated by his skill set – the ability to gear up from a standing start as the throw is delivered to the outside – and to attack the space downhill. Thomas closes quickly on the Red Raider receiver, but lowers his head, makes himself small and whiffs completely on the tackle. There’s no defending that. It’s just a bad play on Thomas’s part. He’s in a position to drop the hammer, but inexplicably he doesn’t make the play.

If you shoot the tape along to 4.45 you’ll see a second, very similar example which comes from the National Championship game. Heisman winner Mark Ingram is going to get the ball from Greg McElroy and run over the weak side and down the sideline. Again Thomas shows the athletic ability and foot speed to work through the trash and across the formation before whiffing on a tackle on the sideline when surely it would have been easier to drive Ingram into the Longhorn benches. You’ll see at the snap of the ball he’s playing the strong side again. His reactions are terrific as Ingram bounces outside and you’ll see that he never makes the angle too difficult for himself to work back against. It would have been easy for Thomas to attack the line of scrimmage, find himself too high up the field and then be chasing he play from behind. However, he has excellent position on Ingram as the Alabama runner approaches midfield. At 4.51 on the tape when Earl is at the UT 45 he has the perfect angle to drop Ingram hard. Now credit to Ingram because he really slams on the anchors and uses Thomas’s closing speed against him; cutting underneath a sort of shoulder pad whiff that I’m used to seeing out of Taylor Mays. Not quite as bad as the first one because he’s attacking the ball carrier from further away and with greater speed, but given he has the angle on Ingram, he can afford to slow up and make sure that he takes down the Alabama runner. It’s not a pretty play.

Now if you move forwards to 6.41, this is what he should be doing on those sideline plays. He’s playing FS with Texas Tech lining up in a trips left set. Thomas has coverage responsibility for one of the three, but interestingly, he chooses not to attack the player, dropping off instead into a zone behind his two team mates. Tech run a little receiver screen which is initially well blocked. Thomas is the last line of defence. He doesn’t attack the ball carrier with the same speed he attacked Ingram in the previous play. He’s a little more under control, aware of any possible cut backs against the grain and he closes quickly, delivering a bit hit. He’s helped by the presence of Rodd Muckelroy to his inside who shuts off any cutback lane, but Thomas hits hard and takes down his man immediately on contact. This is a much better play for him, flashing his instinct for the play as well as his ability to tackle in the open field.

More of the bad to follow though. In a previous video I heavily criticised Taylor Mays of USC for a propensity to shoulder tackle. He fails consistently to use his arms to tackle and although Thomas is an infinitely better player than Mays, he does occasionally indulge in the same traits. At 7.11 on the tape, the Crimson Tide are in the Wildcat with Trent Richardson playing the Ronnie Brown role. They send a back in motion across the formation a la Ricky Williams. Richardson fakes to him and then cuts up over the left side of the line. Thomas attacks the line of scrimmage, turns naturally without any loss of speed or wasted movement to mirror the cut by Richardson and then has a clear shot at him just beyond midfield. Richardson, who goes 5’11, 220, has his body turned slightly, making himself open to the big hit. Earl comes in, sinks his hips and drives upwards, looking for the knockout shot, rather than simply using his arms and good technique to take him down. He pops up and catches him around the shoulder pad and the impact forces him into the arms of another defender. It’s not a bad play, because the tackle was made immediately after contact, but it wasn’t made by the man who should have made it. Thomas is relatively technique raw at times when it comes to tackling. There are times when he attacks the line of scrimmage and plays to the rule that low man wins. When he does this consistently, he gets the man down. When he throws the shoulder in and doesn’t use his arms, then he struggles. I don’t think it has anything to do with a lack of force because he’s plenty forceful enough; he doesn’t ever gear down into contact, he goes full bore, which can be an issue. But he really lacks good, consistent tackling technique.

When he’s playing ‘low man wins’, then the results are often spectacular; if you go to 5.02 on the video you’ll see what I mean. Again it’s a clip from the National Championship game and again the back is Trent Richardson who’s a downhill runner with speed and power. At the snap of the ball you see Thomas identified in the middle of the field. He drops out of the picture for a split second as if he’s going to double up on the slot man, then attacks the line of scrimmage as Richardson sweeps round left tackle. Thomas comes into the screen quickly and forcefully at 5.06 and takes Richardson’s legs out from under him. You take on a guy like Richardson coming down hill high and he’s going to knock you over whether your playing weight is 198 or 228. That’s a big puppy. Thomas goes low and takes his legs from under him, killing the play dead. You could argue that Richardson could have jumped over him, but not only did he not see him because of the block on the perimeter, but also Thomas comes in so quickly, it’s tough to take evasive action. This is a big win. But it’s indicative of how he will have to tailor his game at the next level.

Again against Alabama, but this time defending Mark Ingram  at 7.17. Thomas is just at the very edge of the screen as the play starts. Greg McElroy hands off to the Heisman winner who picks his way through the Texas line, then tries to cut back on Earl. But he’s nothing if not smart. Again, play within your means. Low man wins and instead of taking on Ingram high, he gets him around the waist, slides down to the ankles and forces him down. It’s simple and very effective.

What about tackling and hitting down the field? Here’s three examples of what he does well in space in the 15+ yard portion of the field. If you go back to 1.13 and the game against Texas Tech, Thomas is playing free safety in a zone against a trips left set. The middle match up means the UT corner allows a free release to the Tech receiver, jamming him after a couple of strides, then passing him off to Thomas. The ball is delivered at 1.14 and Earl breaks on the ball, gets there at the exact same time that the pass does and delivers a perfectly placed hit to force an incompletion. Not only does this show an elite ability to display instinct for where the ball’s going and to drive on the ball with speed and force, but also a willingness to work underneath and administer shots. He gets his head and shoulder into the cradle of the receiver and knocks it away.

Scroll ahead to the 3.33 mark. It’s the Big 12 Championship and Nebraska are driving. They have talented junior receiver Niles Paul locked up in man coverage to the strong side of the field. As you can see at the snap of the ball, Thomas is playing FS, with Blake Gideon on the strong side, cheating up to the LOS. The first part of this is clip is about Thomas’s athletic ability to come across the formation whilst tracking the ball in the air and attacking Paul and what is a perfectly thrown ball. Stop the tape at 3.36 and Paul and his corner are close to the sidelines at the 20 and Thomas is a stride inside the near hash. Paul goes up early at the 14 with Thomas still three strides away but again, he doesn’t really slow down for contact, he runs through it which is impressive and he’s able to unload on Paul and force an incompletion. Paul holds onto that and Nebraska have first and goal at the Longhorn 8 at the start of the 4^th quarter in a ball game that came down to a last second kick. If you play it back, there’s another thing I want you to watch for. Thomas doesn’t run through Niles Paul without thought. He knows that an interference penalty puts the Huskers in field goal range. So he waits till Paul has his hands on the ball before driving through him. He never slows down, but you see him mentally waiting till he unloads so as not to draw a flag. It’s an athletic play, a smart play and a play that shows willingness to hit.

If you go to the first section called ‘tackling’ at 4.04 you’ll see another example of his willingness to attack the receiver with pace and take him down; he’s again the strong safety against Texas Tech. It’s a two man curl route off the strong side. The completion happens in front of him and he drives up to the ball carrier, sinks his hips, delivers a forceful strike using good leg drive and his arms and knocks him back. It’s not flashy, it’s just a solid open field tackle to shut down what could have been a long completion.

Overall, Thomas is probably a 6.5 out of ten tackler. He’s certainly not afraid of contact. He just hasn’t been taught correctly. His tackling technique wanders from textbook to shabby. He will get too high, he won’t always use his arms, he’ll go for knockout shots at times and he’ll drop his head and try and run through opponents. He won’t be able to get away with that in the NFL. But then there are times when he tackles like a seasoned NFL veteran; when he plays low and uses his hands, then he’s very effective. He’s not a slouch when running the alley and he will be fast and forceful towards the ball carrier. When grading Taylor Mays, you’ll see that Mays attacks the ball carrier, but gears down to a virtual halt prior to contact, planting his feet and losing all momentum, making him stiff. Thomas does exactly the opposite, sometimes to his detriment. If he’s more consistent with his technique and plays a little more under control then he will see this grade moving up to a 7.5 out of 10. One last clip will highlight exactly what I mean; he won’t be able to tackle a Larry Fitzgerald or a Brandon Marshall this way because he’ll give up 6 points every single time. But it shows how a lack of consistent tackling technique has given him such a bad rap. Again it’s against Texas Tech and it comes at 5.08 in the tape. Thomas is a pure free safety and he drops off as the ball comes out with pace to the wide side of the field and the catch is made at the fifty by the senior Edward Britton. Britton evades a bad, high tackle just inside Longhorn territory and has Thomas between him and pay dirt. Britton works closer to the sideline, in part because he stumbles before Thomas initiates contact. But Earl takes him very high in almost a carbon copy of the tackle Edward just evaded. It’s almost like he’s forgotten how to tackle. Trying to wrap up around the neck and shoulder area is asking for trouble. When Thomas gets into camp he’s going to need some solid coaching on the principles of successful tackling.

So what of the much vaunted instincts that we hear so much about? I’ve studied Earl Thomas long and hard during his two years in Austin and I think he has the best instincts of any safety I’ve seen since Ed Reed entered the league. Let me show you what I mean; the first play is at 1.31 and it’s a play Chris and I have studied over and again because it’s quite remarkable. You don’t quite see it in enough detail but it’s a remarkable piece of safety play. Pre snap it’s a trips right alignment with two corners in press and Thomas dropping off on the middle man. It’s a formation that Mack Brown’s team uses a great deal, mainly because of Earl’s ability in coverage. It’s immediately obvious what the play is at the snap; it’s a quick snap, turn and throw to the middle receiver coming open underneath the inside wideout. Couldn’t be simpler because essentially the Red Raiders are running a pick play, allowing for a cushion to complete the pass and work down field. It’s well executed as well, but what the Tech offense didn’t expect was the free safety making such a terrific play. At the snap, Thomas takes a step back and reads the QB’s eyes to see where he’s going, then starts in that direction and looks at what the receivers are doing. He sees the pick and sees his man ducking under for the quick completion and immediately diagnoses what is happening with the throw, cutting sharply vertically to the WR showing great burst. But halfway to the WR he sees that the ball is overthrown and behind, and he actually changes direction at full speed to cut behind the WR for the ball rather than keep on going straight to the WR for the hit.  One play, barely three seconds, and he’s read the QB’s eyes, the WR pattern, and the ball flight in succession, adjusted his aspect on all three reads, and very nearly picked off the ball. You simply never see that. Ever.

The very next play, he makes a very similar triple move, this time from a more conventional safety position on the strong side. It comes on the same drive as the previous play, only a couple of minutes later. Again, the outside receiver starts as if down the field, then cuts under the inside guy. When the ball leaves the QB’s hand, Thomas is already through his transition and driving at the receiver. Except the ball is off target. Thomas is breaking to the receiver at pace, but suddenly adjusts outside instead of inside to the ball thrown behind the wideout and almost picks it off again. Back to back plays on the same possession, almost with identical answers. Remember, this is a player who is planting and driving and attacking the ball at speed. To be able to change direction so subtly and with no wasted foot movement or slowing down is remarkable.

Again the next two plays are back to back, beginning at 2.15. There’s that formation again – two corners with Thomas sitting deep. And it’s a very similar play to those that we’ve previously mentioned; essentially it’s yet another Mike Leach take on the slant. But Thomas flashes an ability in quarters here, anticipating the throw and more importantly the ball going instead to the receiver coming open underneath rather than Ed Britton who works back outside. The range to work up to the receiver and erase him within five yards before the QB can find him is superb. The next play is straight after at 2.22 and Thomas is playing SS and he splits the two receivers. The inside man is covered by a linebacker and works across the formation and away from Thomas. But the issue for him is TE Colin Peek who has beaten the jam at the LOS and has two steps on Rodderick Muckleroy. He’s heading right to where Thomas is. But Earl has seen the boundary wideout cut sharply and run a drag. He recognises it three seconds before Greg McElroy releases the ball. Or put another way, he forces McElroy to hold it for three extra seconds, causing pressure and an incompletion. This is superior instincts because as Thomas is making his transition, the boundary receiver is wide open. But he has such a tremendous closing burst that he simply shuts the play down. Any pass thrown in that direction is an instant touchdown and McElroy made a terrific decision not to throw the ball. Again, it’s outstanding quarters defense.

The next play is very small but highlights his football intelligence. At 3.10 it’s a 2^nd and 10 for Nebraska in the Big 12 title game. Thomas is lined up between two receivers in a tight trips formation – notice the tight end at the end of the line. Thomas has a corner in behind him and the SLB looks like he’s covering the tight end. But at the snap of the ball, the SLB attacks the QB leaving Texas a man down in coverage. The deep lying corner at first goes out towards the outside wideout and the tight end who’s running a speed out, but then is drawn back inside by the slot receiver running down field. This leaves Thomas to cover two men; the tight end and the outside receiver. If you stop the play at 3.11 when QB Zac Lee is at the 35, Thomas has a quandary; does he cut to the tight end running open outside or the receiver working inside? What he does is neither and both. Because he sits between the two. He recognises it’s an underneath route and that the back in the backfield is coming free. He also realises that if Lee is to get it to either of the men he’s covering, he’s going to have to gun it in over the heads of two closing Texas defensive linemen. Any floating ball and he’s in position to run back the other way. So he simply sits between the two, balls of his toes making up Lee’s mind for him to check it off to the back. It’s a simple but hugely effective play that you would ordinarily miss in the process of watching the game at normal speed.

Finally, his diagnosis of plays is excellent. Again, this is a very small play and he has no involvement at any point in the process. But his recognition and ability to close are what stand out. At 1.56 on the tape, Alabama have a 3^rd and 15. He’s lined up at the FS spot but he has the wide side of the field to cover. Bama have three receivers to the left and Thomas has responsibility for the slot. At the snap of the ball, the slot takes three steps backwards as if he’s going to catch a screen. After all, with two receivers out in front and the wide side of the field to attack, it would make great sense. Watch how quickly Thomas reacts to that move. He takes one tiny step backwards, then plants and drives on his man. But before he goes out of the picture, you see him turn his head back to Greg McElroy to see where the QB is looking. McElroy has his back to the wide side of the field and throws a screen away from Thomas . Again, it’s something and nothing in the course of the play, but it shows superior recognition, the ability to gear up quickly through the transition phase and an ability and awareness to understand what the QB is doing.

Much with his tackling, he can play a little out of control and perhaps rely on his athletic ability and instincts too much when in coverage. If you scroll to 3.14 on the tape, you’ll see him simply getting caught looking in the backfield too much. It’s against Texas Tech who are driving towards the goaline. It’s a two receiver pattern to the top of the screen. Earl is playing strong safety and steps up inside as the slot receiver drags across underneath. This leaves the corner on an island with the boundary wideout and no safety help over the top. What I like about what Thomas does here is that as the ball doesn’t come out, he recognises his mistake and cuts off what he’s doing. But this leaves the Longhorns exposed and now he’s chasing the play. Anything other than the badly thrown ball and it’s a touchdown. On the ensuing replay it shows the second half of the play rather well; he’s now dropped back but is only two yards deeper than the receiver who runs a little out and up and Thomas is drawn to the out. He drives over towards the sideline but as he does, he can’t resist a glance back at the QB and it’s during the glance back that he loses all track of the play. By the time he whips his head back around at 3.26, the receiver is 5 yards deeper than him and has three yards on the corner. Like I said, at times he needs to play a little more under control. Teams will notice his aggression in chasing plays. Clearly Thomas watches a lot of tape and has terrific recognition skills. But he doesn’t want to be made to look foolish.

Let the tape run to the very next play beginning at 3.28. He’s playing the strong side again against Nebraska. He sees the outside receiver running a little curl route. For some reason he seems concerned by #11Curenski Gilleylen despite him being covered well by #4 Aaron Williams with #38 Rodd Muckleroy in the vicinity as well. So he hesitates driving to the outside guy and then when he makes up his mind to do so he takes two steps and stops, then gears back up again and drives on the ball which by now is in the receivers hands and Thomas still has 6 strides to make up. First things first, I’ve never seen Thomas do that before so I’m going to put it down to an anomaly. He’s usually such an instinctive player that I have no idea why on two occasions he hesitates in driving to the open man. But secondly, and critically, he’s now playing catch up. He’s now further away than he should be and so he runs full tilt at #84 Brandon Kinnie who has the ball in his hands and simply overruns him, allowing Kinnie to cut under and pick up yards. It’s a bad play on Thomas’s part and whilst the hesitation is a rarity, playing out of control isn’t.

So how does Thomas fare in man coverage? One of the most attractive traits about him is his ability in man. Unlike a lot of safeties, you can kick Thomas out to the boundary or put him on the slot and you wouldn’t miss a beat. His fairly low centre of gravity, coupled with very quick feet through transition will help him. I know Chris has some issues about whether he can cover bigger receivers or tight ends down the field, but watching him cover Brandon Pettigrew as a freshman against Oklahoma State, my concerns are minimal in that area. I’d like you to go to the first play on this tape which begins at 0.07. Earl is matched up to the far left of the screen. You only see it very briefly but his man drops his shoulder and looks to head out towards the boundary, then cuts inside. Thomas moves down to the boundary side, but see how smooth he is in the hips as he effortlessly drives back off the right foot and slides into the hip pocket of the receiver. Again, as with some other plays here it’s a very simple one but it’s the sort of exquisite coverage that you’re looking for in man from your corner let alone your safety. That right there tells me that I’m not going to have any problems if I line Thomas up on the slot.

Shoot ahead to 0.37 and it’s the Texas Tech game. The Red Raiders are going in and they have the ball down inside the 15. He’s in man coverage on the slot receiver to the weak side who, at the snap of the ball, runs a drag across the formation. Thomas slips into his hip pocket in trail, one eye back on the QB who’s looking in the direction of his man. When the ball comes out, Earl closes the gap quickly but doesn’t want to draw an interference penalty, so his hands are down. He dives to try and tip it away but the ball is perfectly thrown and he’s beaten for a touchdown. On the surface a bad play. And yet the coverage is about as good as it gets. Watch the replay from the endzone and there’s simply nothing wrong with his position or the way he attacks the ball. He’s simply beaten by a better throw. It’s hard to be critical on a play like that, even when the result is a touchdown. You work back through every facet of that play and if he knocks it down, you say ‘what a tremendous piece of coverage’.

So what am I looking for in a safety? Well I want to know how he runs and how he tackles. Those are two big questions, but certainly from a modern day FS I want him to excel in any number of different coverages. And Thomas is strong in man. He does the little things well with his feet and with his weight distribution, but also with his eyes. There is a reason why he’s being considered as a cornerback and whilst I feel that would be a waste of his talents as a centerfielder, to have the ability to play corner if necessary is huge in a passing league.

I must have seen Thomas play 15 or 16 times on tape over his two year career and what stands out, apart from his instincts and skills when the ball is in the air is his athletic ability. That was backed up at both the Combine and the Texas pro day when he tested so well. The first play I want you to watch is at 4.15 and it comes early in the game against Nebraska. The Huskers have 1^st and 10 at the Texas 42. At the snap of the ball Thomas is out of the picture. As the tailback Roy Helu takes the hand off, Thomas comes into the bottom of the shot like an exocet. Niles Paul, #24 is the receiver assigned to blocking him. Paul is a good player and is no slouch in a foot race. All he has to do is seal off or even act as an irritant to Thomas, so as to allow Helu to break contain on the opposite side of the field and get down towards the endzone. If you stop the tape at 4.15, you’ll see that Helu doesn’t stand a chance because his strong side receiver has failed to pick up the boundary corner. Now if that is blocked better on the perimeter, he has a walk in touchdown. Except that Earl Thomas has now entered the picture and simply blown past Niles Paul for speed and is chasing down the play from behind. He then has Helu in his sights, closes quickly and drags him down from behind before men who were far closer to the Nebraska tailback just three seconds previously, can get there. This is an outstanding athletic play to work across the formation, evade the block and track down a pretty good back from behind. It also shows again a willingness to come up and play the run.

Spool ahead to 4.28 and the National Title game. Thomas is this time lined up as SS. The ball is handed to Heisman winner Mark Ingram who cuts out to the strong side on what looks already like a well blocked play. If you stop the film just one second later you see a number of things; first off, Ingram is at his own 45 but he has a block that will spring him to the corner and down the field. That could be the TE Colin Peek or one of the receivers blocking down but regardless, there are yards to be made. Blake Gideon is the FS and is standing at around the 50. He doesn’t seem to be moving. But look across at the SS spot and Earl Thomas is the only player on the Texas defense on the move. He already has the angle on Ingram from 25 yards away. He’s already smelt danger. Remarkably, he beats Rodd Muckleroy, playing WLB, Blake Gideon playing FS and Keenan Robinson playing MLB to Ingram, even though he’s come from the other side of the field. In fact his athletic ability to get the angle and force Ingram out of bounds probably saves a touchdown.

The penultimate play I want to show you in detail comes at 6.15 and it again highlights an amalgam of what makes him such a good player; footwork, hips, instincts; there he is playing FS in that familiar scheme with two up and Thomas sitting off deep. Again Texas Tech run some picks with their receivers and it’s well blocked at the release of the ball. Thomas and his fellow DB are down the field and both drive on the receiver with the ball in his hands. Edward Britton is the receiver again and he does an excellent job of avoiding the corner, leaving Thomas as the last man. Look at the way he keeps his speed up, keeps his feet moving, shows great movement in those hips and makes the tackle on what could have been a really big play.

Now can he get off a block and get a man down in the open field? Move ahead to 8.10 on the tape. Again it’s the Big 12 title game against Nebraska. Thomas is in man coverage on the Cornhuskers best receiver, our friend Niles Paul again. Immediately Thomas smells some sort of screen and attacks Paul and they engage at about the 38.  The catch is made at the 30 but by the time the back has turned his head round, Thomas has already disengaged. The problem is that Niles Paul has hold of his jersey and Thomas can’t break free to make the tackle. Paul holds Earl to the outside and the receiver cuts underneath. But that doesn’t stop Thomas from disengaging for a second time and going low for half a tackle. Again it shows athletic ability with the lower portion of the frame, the feet and the hips, as well as strength to twice come off a block despite being held to make an important tackle for a minimal gain.

So to conclude there is plenty to like about the game of Earl Thomas. For me he has the look of a week one starter, although there are some issues that you’d like to iron out. First of all he needs to play more under control. His instinct and natural athletic ability create plenty of opportunities for him and he clearly watches a lot of film. He also does a tremendous job of reading the quarterbacks eyes but there are occasions where he relies too much on that part of the game to the detriment of his talent. He will come out of his backpedal and show a willingness to plant and drive with real pace towards where he believes the ball will be. Unfortunately it isn’t always there. Secondly he needs to become a more consistent tackler. He also needs to become a better tackler. But for me with regards Thomas specifically, the two go hand in hand. He attacks the line of scrimmage like Eric Berry does; he understands lane discipline and he understands how a back works, whether they like to pop it outside or run through the tackles. When he shows good technique and plays to his strengths, then he’s a solid takedown man. When he tries for the knockout shot or he simply tackles too high, then he can get shrugged off. He has an understanding of leverage in tackling and when he follows that mantra, then it’s not an issue. But when he doesn’t, then he struggles some. He’s not going to be a player that comes up and knocks Brandon Jacobs or Ronnie Brown back at the line of scrimmage. But to think that he won’t be able to get them down is a misnomer because when he sinks his hips, gets low and uses his arms, then there isn’t a problem, although you’ll tend to see him tackling around the legs more than anything else. In coverage he excels. He is the best cover safety in the draft and his understanding of how offenses work in the passing game belie his age and experience. He reads the eyes of the QB like no-one I’ve seen in perhaps a decade and he has the ability to drive and gear up from a standing start to full speed very quickly to get to even a well thrown ball. He will change direction as he closes without even one false step or losing any speed and he can line up in man coverage, displaying very clean footwork, great fluidity through the hips and the ability to sit down in trail.

At times he can get a little lost when running through heavy traffic and will occasionally get blocked out of plays as he attacks the line of scrimmage, but his athletic ability to come across the formation and take the correct angle is stuff that you’re simply born with. You can’t coach that. I suspect that in the right system Thomas will have a Pro Bowl type career. He’s not a heavyweight tackler, but in a passing league, he’s a super heavyweight pass defending free safety. Baltimore’s Ed Reed was a very similar player coming out of the University of Miami and remains a similar sort – he will never be mistaken for Ronnie Lott in the tackling department, rather he will go to the Hall of Fame on the back of his remarkable ability as a pass defender. It’s very, very early to be making such pronouncements about Earl Thomas, but he has that sort of make up. I will be very surprised if he’s still on the board when the Commissioner is announcing the 15^th pick.