Galian Beast
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What are anyones thoughts on getting this guy. He is the largest defensive tackle in the draft. He is inexperienced though and has to lose a large amount of weight. He would definitely be a project, but sounds interesting to me.
Walter Thomas Height: 6-4
Weight: 374 Position: Defensive/Offensive Tackle
College: Northwest Mississippi CC
Copyright NFLDraftScout.com, distributed by The Sports Xchange
OVERVIEW Every so often, an athlete comes along with minimal or no college experience to simply dazzle professional scouts. Former collegiate wrestlers Carlton Haserling (Pittsburgh) and Stephen Neal (New England) had success as offensive linemen in the NFL, and players like Eric Swann (Arizona) and Antonio Gates of San Diego are perhaps the most successful of recent "Cinderella" stories.
While Thomas has some collegiate experience, he is a relative unknown to the media. In scouting circles, however, he has drawn considerable attention leading up to the 2007 NFL Draft.
Thomas attended Ball High School, where he excelled as a two-way lineman. He earned all-district honors twice and was also a member of the Texas Top 100 prospect list as a senior.
The massive lineman enrolled at Oklahoma State in 2004. He saw reserve action in 11 games that year, recording nine tackles (eight solos) with a stop for a loss, a forced fumble and a blocked kick. He was scheduled to take over strongside defensive tackle duties for the Cowboys in 2005, but was ruled academically ineligible and new head coach Mike Gundy announced before the season that he had dismissed Thomas from the team for "not adhering" to team rules.
Thomas spent the 2005 season away from football. He next emerged at Northwest Mississippi Community College, starting the first two games for the Rangers before spending the rest of the year on the sidelines (academics). In those two games, he was simply unstoppable, coming up with 16 tackles (12 solos), four sacks, five more stops behind the line of scrimmage and five quarterback pressures.
Because of academic difficulties, Thomas decided to apply for the 2007 NFL Draft. His short college career spanned just 13 games. He went on to produce 25 tackles (20 solos) with four sacks for minus-18 yards, 10 stops for losses of 43 yards and five quarterback pressures. He also blocked one kick and recovered a fumble.
ANALYSIS Positives: Has a thick, massive frame with long arms, large hands, very thick chest, broad shoulders, thick thighs and calves … Demonstrates excellent foot speed for a player carrying his girth, but he could be even more efficient if he shed roughly 30-40 pounds … Short stepper who gets out of control at times, but shows a non-stop effort … Has very good explosion off the snap and is explosive penetrating the gaps … Lays it on the line every play and, despite his tall frame, he shows a low center of gravity and very good upper-body strength to deliver vicious arm swipes … Can be sudden off the snap and shows quickness on the edge of a blocker … Once he gains advantage over an opponent, he keeps it … Instinctive and quick on the move, doing a nice job of recognizing blocking schemes and reacting to play-action … Stacks at the point of attack and uses his leverage and strength to hold ground firmly … Keeps his feet free and is a powerful force shooting the gaps … Demands constant double-team action to contain him and is not moved off his mark quickly … Makes quick use of his hands, working across the face of the blocker and will engage with good urgency, keeping his hands active in attempts to shed … Delivers a strong hand punch, especially in tight quarters and there is no leakage working inside … Will create problems if an opponent attempts to single block him … Gets a good push coming off the snap and arrives in the backfield with intent on getting to the passer … Has the hand usage to control blockers on strength alone … For a player his size, he is very nimble and light on his feet, showing good stop-and-go action.
Negatives: Light on his feet, but needs to be placed in a nutritional program to shed at least 30-40 pounds from his frame … Plays until the whistle early in games, but the added girth causes him to tire quickly … Struggled in the classroom and might have problems digesting a playbook … Gets out of control in his pursuit, but shows loose hips and change-of-direction agility to recover … Plays mostly on brute strength and will need patient coaching to develop … While not moved off the line quickly by blockers, he needs to do a better job of using his hands to protect his feet … Better tackler inside the box, as he will get his base narrow and take arm swipes on the move (will miss in space).
Compares To: Terdell Sands, Oakland -- Actually, Thomas is a mixture of Ted Washington, for size and ability to occupy multiple blocker; Sands, for his explosion and long reach; and Marcus Stroud, for his ability to shoot the gaps and wreak havoc in the backfield … Don't be surprised if Jacksonville takes this player to develop behind Stroud and John Henderson, who could be perfect mentors to unearth his hidden talent … This might be the best "unknown" player in the 2007 draft.
Walter Thomas Height: 6-4
Weight: 374 Position: Defensive/Offensive Tackle
College: Northwest Mississippi CC
Copyright NFLDraftScout.com, distributed by The Sports Xchange
OVERVIEW Every so often, an athlete comes along with minimal or no college experience to simply dazzle professional scouts. Former collegiate wrestlers Carlton Haserling (Pittsburgh) and Stephen Neal (New England) had success as offensive linemen in the NFL, and players like Eric Swann (Arizona) and Antonio Gates of San Diego are perhaps the most successful of recent "Cinderella" stories.
While Thomas has some collegiate experience, he is a relative unknown to the media. In scouting circles, however, he has drawn considerable attention leading up to the 2007 NFL Draft.
Thomas attended Ball High School, where he excelled as a two-way lineman. He earned all-district honors twice and was also a member of the Texas Top 100 prospect list as a senior.
The massive lineman enrolled at Oklahoma State in 2004. He saw reserve action in 11 games that year, recording nine tackles (eight solos) with a stop for a loss, a forced fumble and a blocked kick. He was scheduled to take over strongside defensive tackle duties for the Cowboys in 2005, but was ruled academically ineligible and new head coach Mike Gundy announced before the season that he had dismissed Thomas from the team for "not adhering" to team rules.
Thomas spent the 2005 season away from football. He next emerged at Northwest Mississippi Community College, starting the first two games for the Rangers before spending the rest of the year on the sidelines (academics). In those two games, he was simply unstoppable, coming up with 16 tackles (12 solos), four sacks, five more stops behind the line of scrimmage and five quarterback pressures.
Because of academic difficulties, Thomas decided to apply for the 2007 NFL Draft. His short college career spanned just 13 games. He went on to produce 25 tackles (20 solos) with four sacks for minus-18 yards, 10 stops for losses of 43 yards and five quarterback pressures. He also blocked one kick and recovered a fumble.
ANALYSIS Positives: Has a thick, massive frame with long arms, large hands, very thick chest, broad shoulders, thick thighs and calves … Demonstrates excellent foot speed for a player carrying his girth, but he could be even more efficient if he shed roughly 30-40 pounds … Short stepper who gets out of control at times, but shows a non-stop effort … Has very good explosion off the snap and is explosive penetrating the gaps … Lays it on the line every play and, despite his tall frame, he shows a low center of gravity and very good upper-body strength to deliver vicious arm swipes … Can be sudden off the snap and shows quickness on the edge of a blocker … Once he gains advantage over an opponent, he keeps it … Instinctive and quick on the move, doing a nice job of recognizing blocking schemes and reacting to play-action … Stacks at the point of attack and uses his leverage and strength to hold ground firmly … Keeps his feet free and is a powerful force shooting the gaps … Demands constant double-team action to contain him and is not moved off his mark quickly … Makes quick use of his hands, working across the face of the blocker and will engage with good urgency, keeping his hands active in attempts to shed … Delivers a strong hand punch, especially in tight quarters and there is no leakage working inside … Will create problems if an opponent attempts to single block him … Gets a good push coming off the snap and arrives in the backfield with intent on getting to the passer … Has the hand usage to control blockers on strength alone … For a player his size, he is very nimble and light on his feet, showing good stop-and-go action.
Negatives: Light on his feet, but needs to be placed in a nutritional program to shed at least 30-40 pounds from his frame … Plays until the whistle early in games, but the added girth causes him to tire quickly … Struggled in the classroom and might have problems digesting a playbook … Gets out of control in his pursuit, but shows loose hips and change-of-direction agility to recover … Plays mostly on brute strength and will need patient coaching to develop … While not moved off the line quickly by blockers, he needs to do a better job of using his hands to protect his feet … Better tackler inside the box, as he will get his base narrow and take arm swipes on the move (will miss in space).
Compares To: Terdell Sands, Oakland -- Actually, Thomas is a mixture of Ted Washington, for size and ability to occupy multiple blocker; Sands, for his explosion and long reach; and Marcus Stroud, for his ability to shoot the gaps and wreak havoc in the backfield … Don't be surprised if Jacksonville takes this player to develop behind Stroud and John Henderson, who could be perfect mentors to unearth his hidden talent … This might be the best "unknown" player in the 2007 draft.
