Off the field concerns will cloud the discussion around him, but this Miami Hurricane is looking to prove he can still reach his vast potential.
Jeff Thomas’ tumultuous career at UM began in 2017, after the state of Illinois’ top recruit chose Miami for his college home. He made an impact on the Canes from Day 1, acting as UM’s primary kick returner and first receiver in off the bench as a freshman, becoming a starter by season’s end. Thomas began his 2018 season strong by burning one of the best secondaries in the country in LSU for 5 catches and 132 yards, and, at that point, many pegged him as the next UM great at wide receiver.
However, Thomas’ sophomore season ended abruptly when he left the team for undisclosed reasons and Mark Richt did not allow him to come back. When Manny Diaz took over the program in 2019, Thomas was invited back to the team, but his issues resurfaced as a junior; Thomas got suspended for 2 games and was invisible in others (31-379-3 line in 2019). Compared to how he started his career, Thomas finished his Miami tenure with a disappointing 83 catches for 1,316 yards and 8 TD’s in 34 games before declaring early for the NFL.
Pre-Draft Measurables
Height: 5’9”
Weight: 170 pounds
Arms: 30 3/8”
Hands: 8 3/8”
Strengths
Explosive Athletic Ability
Thomas is lightning in a bottle and can be a highly explosive playmaker when he gets loose. Moves with an extra gear than most players on the field. Can blow the top off a defense as a vertical threat or beat his man in a phone booth with great short-area quickness. Creates YAC easily as a strong open-field runner.
Ball Tracking
Shows ability to make contested catches despite a lack of size. Great at contorting his body and making adjustments mid-air. Impressive going up and over defenders and demonstrates a high level of concentration to lock onto the ball at its highest point.
Weaknesses
Character Concerns
It’s the elephant in the room for Thomas and a huge concern when looking to project his future. Can be a headache for coaches to manage day-to-day. A history of quitting his team dating back to high school. Had a clear chance in 2019 to learn from his past mistakes as a sophomore, yet got himself suspended as a junior.
Physicality
Even disregarding his height, Thomas doesn’t have a stout build to him. High-IQ defenders can easily drive through him to disrupt his catch process. Not a hand-fighter at the line and can be taken out of the game by a physical corner; was a disappearing act for way too many of his games at the college level. Needs to work on his press release.
Draft Projection: 5th-7th round
There’s no doubt that some teams have already scratched Thomas’ name from their draft boards due to his history of well-documented locker room problems. From an anonymous NFC scout: "Manny (Diaz) recruited him to come back to the program and I'm sure he regrets it now. He has talent but not enough to put up with all the other crap that comes with him." By that same token, all it takes is one team to see past his issues and be tempted by his ceiling. Despite his lack of overall production at the college level, Thomas tested well at the combine, and there aren’t many players that can make the splash plays he can available in the late rounds. An extra “pro” for him is that Thomas shows potential on special teams as a return man, giving him another avenue to stick on a roster. Expect a team to pull the trigger on Thomas sometime during Day 3.
