Donald Thomas | FinHeaven - Miami Dolphins Forums

Donald Thomas

ckparrothead

ckparrothead

Premium Member
Joined
May 24, 2002
Messages
52,592
Reaction score
7,256
Location
Tampa, FL
This guy is everything Simon and I thought he could be heading into the draft, and more. Before the draft we compared his situation to a Chris Chester, who is a starting RG for the Baltimore Ravens. I think that holds up.

I think you can pencil him in as our starting RG right now.

Go ahead and listen to Jason Ferguson's latest interview on Aquavision. He talks about Donald extensively.

Here are the terms Ferguson used to describe Thomas, in order of use:
"strong"
"hands"
"big strong guy"
"VERY strong"
"big powerful guy, upper body"
"earth mover strong, for real, that kind of guy"
"big, strong"
"big chest, what I call heavy chest"
"his punches are really brutal"
"everyone was sayin man, #66? that's a strong guy right there"
"big punch"
"a guy that can move and help Sam in the middle"

Seriously, if I had a nickel for every time he used the word "strong" to describe Donald Thomas in this short <4 minute interview, I could buy a gallon of gas.

The thing that intrigues me as much as anything about the interview and the entire situation is that when asked to describe both Donald Thomas and Shawn Murphy, Ferguson kept focusing on how incredibly strong Thomas was, and labeled Murphy as a quick, agile kind of guy.

That's pretty odd. Because as I know these guys as draft prospects, and as many draftniks knew them, Donald Thomas' story is one of a slightly undersized (6'4" and 303 lbs) tight end convert with great SPEED for an offensive lineman. A guy that can run below a 5.00 in the 40 yard dash, but needs to add some bulk especially in his lower body. On the other hand, Shawn Murphy was a bigger 320 pounder that ran a 5.4 at the Combine, was supposed to be a stronger guy that needs to work a bit on his play in space.

If you can add strength and punch to Donald Thomas' resume, enough to get Jason Ferguson all wide-eyed, and enough to get the rest of the defense's attention, then you can pencil this guy in as our starting RG. Forget about it. Tony Sparano is going to want to settle on a RG as quickly as he wants to settle on a QB. He wants all of those guys working together as long as possible, getting use to each others' abilities so that they have chemistry.

I think not only is he our starting RG, but he could very well be the final piece of the puzzle for an offensive line that has a chance to stay together for the next four or five years.

The draft is an inexact science. Sometimes you draft a Shawn Murphy in the 4th round, even moving up for him, and then you draft a Donald Thomas in the 6th round, and you find that the later guy ends up being the guy. But, it shows wisdom, I think, to double up on a position like that...increasing your chances and not placing all of your hopes on one guy.
 
Don't forget also that in the interview we found out that Thomas is rooming with Justin Smiley for camp - not Murphy, Darilek, or any other potential RG starter. Considering how much these young guards seem to look up to Smiley, that is very interesting news.
 
Nice post CK. Thomas will prove to be a steal for sure. I'll have to go back and listen to Ferg's interview.
 
And also Thomas revealed in interview that this scheme is familiar because it is similar to what he had in UConn. This was written in the stars. We just weren't necessarily reading.
 
IT sound like Bess, Parlame and Thomas could turn out to be late round surprises. Bess and Parlame are having a real good camp. Bess is catching everything his way and Parlama is showing great burst up the middle along with speed to hit the outside. I was reading were it said Parlame can be the upper cut of the one - two punch of Ronnie & Ricky.

I love what Im hereing about Thomas. It has been awhile since we have had a big physical o-lineman that is talked about.
 
Nice post CK.. I too am excited to see Thomas play in the preseason and can see him become the starting RG. I love how our line is young and developing. I can't remember when we've had an offensive line remain intact from one year to the next. I would love to see some cohesiveness finally.
 
wow Thanks CK,

this is the kind of news regarding the line I was looking for.

I love the fact that not only was he labeled strong but the fact that he can move well too.

He sounds to me like the type of guard that teams dream of! Imagine the yards RW OR RB will obtain with him pulling across that line! WOW!

These are the types of posts I've been looking for. It all starts at the line.

Thanks.
 
Lappy said:
wow Thanks CK,

this is the kind of news regarding the line I was looking for.

I love the fact that not only was he labeled strong but the fact that he can move well too.

He sounds to me like the type of guard that teams dream of! Imagine the yards RW OR RB will obtain with him pulling across that line! WOW!

These are the types of posts I've been looking for. It all starts at the line.

Thanks.
Click to expand...

He's got to work on his movement, his base gets narrow, but he's got the raw tools to move extremely well I mean he was more like a 4.88 guy at UConn then gained a little weight up to 303 pounds and now he's a 5.00 guy as per Combine measurements.

The unexpected thing was that this guy is becoming known as hellishly strong. At 310 pounds, you don't necessarily expect that, I don't think. He did 28 bench reps at the Combine when he was 303 pounds, which is probably about mediocre for an offensive lineman, not bad but not good either. He squats 515 pounds, that's pretty good.

The guy has what it takes to improve his movement skills and become a complete player. Overall it's a very exciting development and I agree that Parmele, Thomas and Bess probably stand out amongst the lower round guys or UDFAs. Though, I still have doubts about Bess and I'd like to see him in preseason games before I make room on the roster for him.
 
CK I love this kid. I can't tell you how many times I predicted him as the starter. I can't take credit as the only one you did as well. I watched this kid I didn't think he was as strong as Ferguson is stating but I knew with his feet if he could get stronger (apperently he did) that he would be something to die for as a running back. I said it before and I will say it once again we have one of the best O-lines (IN THE MAKING) in the NFL. It all depends on the progress that Long makes. I have my concerns with him but I'm hoping with time that he will get things corrected.
 
ckparrothead said:
He's got to work on his movement, his base gets narrow, but he's got the raw tools to move extremely well I mean he was more like a 4.88 guy at UConn then gained a little weight up to 303 pounds and now he's a 5.00 guy as per Combine measurements.

The unexpected thing was that this guy is becoming known as hellishly strong. At 310 pounds, you don't necessarily expect that, I don't think. He did 28 bench reps at the Combine when he was 303 pounds, which is probably about mediocre for an offensive lineman, not bad but not good either. He squats 515 pounds, that's pretty good.

The guy has what it takes to improve his movement skills and become a complete player. Overall it's a very exciting development and I agree that Parmele, Thomas and Bess probably stand out amongst the lower round guys or UDFAs. Though, I still have doubts about Bess and I'd like to see him in preseason games before I make room on the roster for him.
Click to expand...

footwork with young Linemen is very common and is a very teachable asset.....were quick feet isn't. So if he can move a little bit which sounds like he can....stance, foot position and hand placement can be improved.

I'm not at this point worried about our skilled positions as much as I am with our lines. My opinion is that a re-building team needs to start right there, and we are the classic example of a re-building team.

I'm excited to learn more about Jake Long, how's he progressing? I watched him a ton over the years at Michigan and know what he's capable of I just hope he continues his high level of play here.
 
Here's some background on Boomer's and my discussions on Donald Thomas going way back to January...all the way through April.

1/16/2008 said:
CK said:
Donald Thomas OL 6'3 300 Connecticut
Showed his nice combination of strength and athleticism today. Keilen Dykes tried a spin move on him, which had worked on others, but Thomas had none of it. He kept his feet moving and arms extended to keep Dykes spinning in place.

My Comments: This guy draws my attention because I happen to know he had a great week of practice in preparation for the Hula Bowl this last weekend. He handled JT Mapu pretty well, and now he's handling Keilen Dykes. I've seen the kid play at Connecticut and they were a good running team to me. He stands out. To go straight from the Hula Bowl and into the Shrine Game with no jet lag or exhaustion, stand out in both practices, if he keeps it up he could rise like a meteor.
Click to expand...

Boomer said:
Donald Thomas to me is fascinating. This is a former walk on who hasn't allowed a sack in 2 seasons as a starter and who apparently runs in the 4.88 region. He's also a notable wedge buster on special teams. Bright kid, hard worker and whilst undersized in the traditional Parcells role of lineman, you can't ignore the footwork and those long arms.
Click to expand...

CK said:
Nor can you ignore that he's looked good now in two All Star practices...in Hawaii and in San Francisco. Another Chris Chester?
Click to expand...

Boomer said:
Yep, absolutely.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...

Boomer said:
Great stuff from a 49er area scout, who did the same last year:
In Group 2, my boy from UCONN, guard Donald Thomas, ran well, worked out well and looked good. I liked him during the year and hopefully he opened up the eyes of some of the other guys in our group. I think the scouts who went in there had a good feel so I wouldn't say he's a surprise to anyone here, but he definitely came on this last year. He wasn't a fulltime starter until this year and is a converted tight end who has just done well for himself here. I think he'll be on someone's team. I won't guarantee he'll be a starter somewhere next year, but he'll be a solid backup at the minimum.
Click to expand...

CK said:
I don't expect two OLs on the first day. That would be overkill considering we only have three first day picks. I expect one OL on each day. Branden Albert, Jeff Otah, Chris Williams, Anthony Collins, Gosder Cherilus, maybe Carl Nicks as targets on day one...then someone like Donald Thomas, Robert Felton Breno Giacomini, Brandon Keith or James Blair on day two.
Click to expand...

CK said:
I would not do this move. This move strikes me as something that is cooked up out of boredom, more than anything else. IF we were so inclined, we could definitely pull a guard with the San Diego pick that I really like...say a Chilo Rachal or a Donald Thomas, Roy Schuenning or Eric Young. There are also later round guys to be had, say a Lichtensteiger, Shawn Murphy or James Blair. There are also tackle prospects that could move inside, like Pedro Sosa and Jeremy Zuttah...or even Brandon Keith.
Click to expand...

CK said:
Another guy you might not hear about often is Shawn Murphy. He stood out, probably the lone standout blocker on the West's offensive line. Sad but true. The East's offensive line featured a ton of standouts, not just Andrew Crummey. Donald Thomas still looks very good to my eyes. Zuttah performed decently.
Click to expand...

CK said:
At guard, if Miami gets John Greco, Donald Thomas, Andrew Crummey or Shawn Murphy...I think I'll be pretty happy. I don't think I'll even bother talking about Branden Albert. He won't be available.
Click to expand...
 
It's great that Donald Thomas is stepping up! Ideally, it would be really awesome if Shawn Murphy would take command of LG spot and you would have a line consisting of: LT Jake Long, LG Shawn Murphy, C Samson Satele, RG Donald Thomas, and RT Vernon Carey. That's an OL you can damn sure be proud of! Regardless, I'm loving this news on Thomas.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom