Thayer Thomas NFL Draft: Full profile and background of North Carolina State WR

Coming into college, Thayer Thomas was a three-sport athlete with a penchant for the spectacular.

He was an all-state caliber in football, basketball and baseball. He held Heritage High School, NC records for receptions in football, assists in basketball, and hits, batting average, slugging percentage and on-base percentage in baseball. He also set the school’s single-season baseball records for hits (35), batting average (.473), and on-base percentage (.561).

Hence, it's not a stretch to say that Thomas could succeed in the three aforementioned sports. However, he always intended to make it in the NFL, so he committed to playing college football for North Carolina State.

Thomas played for the NC State Wolfpack for five years and is now preparing for the NFL draft. Let's look at this three-sport athlete and access whether he can make it to the National Football League.

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Thayer Thomas NFL Evaluation Report

Thayer Thomas offers upside as a special teams player, as he has experience on the kick return, kick coverage, punt return and punt coverage units.

Thanks to his background as a point guard in basketball, he possesses elite ball-handling skills, and you can be sure that he will only drop a few red-zone targets in the league. Thomas tracks the football well and shows concentration at the catch point to win in contested situations. He only needs a few marks to stay effective and is quite the workhorse when he gets in the zone.

Thomas makes up for his lack of speed with elite route running and has a penchant for making defenders look foolish as he lays them in his wake. His quick foot speed makes his hesitation moves lethal while aiding his pro-level release package.

However, one significant drawback is Thomas' age, as he's significantly older than most other receivers in his draft class. Furthermore, his slight stature could impact his ability to consistently compete for contested catches, break tackles and sustain blocks.

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Will Thayer Thomas get selected in 2023 NFL draft?

Probably, but not so likely. Thayer Thomas has never been seen as an elite football prospect. He's super versatile, and he's quite a hard worker.

Thomas was not even invited to the NFL Combine, even where all the surefire draft picks go and show off their talents. That goes to show the general consensus about the NFL readiness of Thayer Thomas.

Hence, if he does get drafted, he will likely be a day-three pick and a probable sixth-round selection in the 2023 NFL craft. Thomas never caught up to 60 targets in college; he never totaled 1,000 yards, and his record touchdown score in a season is eight; so much for being a statistical gem.

We look forward to seeing Thomas' moves before, during and after the draft. It will be an interesting next few months for the Wake Forest, NC native.