gibbrandt:SMU’s Thompson impresses at tight end

[cowboyjoe]

http://blogs.nfl.com/2012/04/05/smus...-at-tight-end/

By Gil Brandt |

Kelvin Beachum, OL (6-foot-2 7/8, 303 pounds). He had an OK workout, nothing special. Did 19 strength reps.

Josh Leribeus, OL (6-foot-3 3/8, 318 pounds). Leribeus, who was academically ineligible in 2010, was put through some O-line drills. He’s got really good feet, and he’s strong. He’ll be a third-rounder and he has a chance to start as a rookie at guard.

Taylor Thompson (6-foot-5 7/8, 259 pounds) is an interesting case: He’s been a defensive end at SMU and a receiver in high school. He ran 4.59 and 4.56 in the 40, had a 37-inch vertical leap, a 10-6 long jump, 4.41 in the short shuttle, 7.40 in the three-cone, and 22 strength reps.

[RS12]

Taylor Thompson (6-foot-5 7/8, 259 pounds) is an interesting case: He’s been a defensive end at SMU and a receiver in high school. He ran 4.59 and 4.56 in the 40, had a 37-inch vertical leap, a 10-6 long jump, 4.41 in the short shuttle, 7.40 in the three-cone, and 22 strength reps.

Where does he play next level?

[RS12]

263 Taylor Thompson DE 21 Southern Methodist Sr 6-6 266 7-FA

[RS12]

Welp, Gil Brandt certainly loves him:

Thompson had an outstanding workout. He caught the ball really well, moves really well, and probably went from an undrafted free agent to a bottom-third-, top-fourth-round type of guy. He’s just a really good athlete who projects in my top 100.

[RS12]

Which is why when the big-school pro days wrapped up Wednesday at SMU, plenty of folks who were there walked away with more notes on Taylor Thompson than they had when they arrived. Thompson started 43 games at defensive end, including three as a freshman, in his career with the Mustangs.

He had eight sacks this past season to go with 44 tackles and played at just over 280 pounds.

But a player who hails from Prosper, Texas, knows his chances to prosper as a pro may rest on what he did Thursday. He showed up to pro day at 6-foot-5 and 259 pounds.

A former high school wide receiver/tight end who was recruited by Colorado State was clocked, according to scouts who were there, at 4.59 and 4.57 seconds in his two 40-yard dash efforts, put up a 37-inch vertical jump and benched 225 pounds 22 times.

Put that with a high-quality effort catching the ball in position drills and you just might have a top-100 player in this draft at a position he didn't play in his college career. That's especially true on this year's draft since tight end is generally considered the weakest spot on the board. The best at the position are the athletic Coby Fleener from Stanford, Georgia's Orson Charles and Clemson's Dwayne Allen.

Fleener ran in the 4.4s in his workouts, so that could push him to the top of the grouping by the time the picks get made. But Thompson, in a day's work, ran himself into the conversation


Read more: Tight ends could be a hot commodity in the upcoming NFL draft - The Denver Post http://www.denverpost.com/broncos/ci...#ixzz1rHOVyUMj
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[Wimbo]

[silverbear]

Originally Posted by RS12

Where does he play next level?

Apparently, at TE...

He might be JUST what the Boys are looking for:

1) He probably won't be drafted... this is nice...

2) He's a local boy, so he might like the thought of staying in the area...

3) You'd expect a converted DE to be physical, so he should be a plus blocker if he can figure out who he's supposed to hit... the Boys are in the market for a blocking first TE...

4) He has terrific speed for a TE, in the high 4.5s... he might offer you some stretch the field potential...

If he has any hands at all, it's a bonus... he certainly has the size to be an effective target...

[Eskimo]

I'm going to ask it since it seems pretty obvious to me - why not try him out at OLB? He has ideal size, length and speed. He knows how to play defense and can rush the passer with 8 sacks. He may be a bit more explosive having shed about 20 pounds since last season.

He may be worth a late pick in the 6th round.

I guess I just don't like taking such a project with a draft pick and flipping him from the defense to the offense.

[Aven8]

From the pics above smu must have the best hgh you can buy.

[rockj7]

Originally Posted by Aven8

From the pics above smu must have the best hgh you can buy.

[MidEastBeastL337]

He's a beast... Was hoping to see him try and add weight and play 3-4 end with that athleticism.. He's such a good football player, at his current size he could play 3-4 OLB, 4-3 DE, TE or if he weighed like 20 pounds less he could be a Calvin Johnson type WR on offense lol