It would be fair to say that I was really on the fence with this pick. McCoy was easy, but I had a tough time choosing between Thomas, Antonio Brown, Alterraun Verner, Jimmy Graham and Pat Angerer. I really wanted to choose Brown, but I went with Thomas.
It should be mentioned that there is no real forty yard dash time for Thomas, so it should be acknowledged that the only thing useful we know about physically is he is a good 6'3. With Thomas it is all about the numbers.
Statistically, Thomas seems slightly below average for a first round receiver; 46 catches, 1154 yards, 25.1 yards per catch. Okay, clearly he is a major big play threat, boasting the highest yards per catch of all receivers with 40 or more catches. Being a big play threat, his numbers suggest he has good speed (also, when I watch him play, it looks like he would run a solid 4.47 40 yard dash), for most speed receivers have a high yards per catch, such as Devery Henderson. But, he doesn't seem like much of a possession receiver, which is odd for a 6'3 receiver. But let's look at that more closely;
It really should be acknowledged that Thomas played at Georgia Tech. They run very, very few pass plays. Georgia Tech quarterback Josh Nesbitt completed 75 passes on the year. 46 of them were to Thomas! That means that 61.3% of Nesbitt's completions were to Thomas. So how good is that number? Let's compare Thomas to Freddie Barnes, who quietly obliterated the single season reception number by hauling in an unprecedented 155 passes. Bowling Green quarterback Tyler Sheehan completed 373 passes on the season. That means that Freddie Barnes, who holds the record of being the greatest single season collegiate possession receiver of all time, was the reciever of 41.6% of Tyler Sheehan's passes. God, it's not even close. Clearly, Thomas would be an outstanding possession receiver in the right offense.
So, in conclusion, when the stats are examined further, Thomas is maybe the best possession receiver in the FBS, and he is the biggest big play threat in the FBS (mostly because he is strong enough to break a lot of tackles for a receiver). You tell me. What more could you ask for?
Honorable Mention: Antonio Brown, Alterraun Verner, Jimmy Graham, Pat Angerer, Eric Decker, Sean Lee, Jamar Chaney
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