Demaryius Thomas

[Ziggy]

Lost in the hoopla of the Tebow pick is the pick of Demaryius Thomas. Watch his highlights and you'll see a kid that will remind you a lot of a former Denver Bronco on the field. Chime in, folks.

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[Northman]

Thomas is a solid pick. I liked it before the train wreck happened.

[jhildebrand]

He was the first pick taken tonight that wasn't grinning from ear to ear or crying tears of joy.

He looked legitimately displeased to be coming to Denver.

[Lancane]

You can tell he's a southern boy in his interview...

[Ziggy]

Thomas is a solid pick. I liked it before the train wreck happened.

Yeah, I'm sure every thread on this forum will get sidetracked into a Tebow complaint thread eventually. Love or hate Tebow, let's talk about Thomas in this one.

[Italianmobstr7]

I loved this pick. I'm going on record RIGHT NOW saying he's going to be very good for us, and will probably contribute immediately. I'm a fan of this kid. Reminds me of a certain BEAST that used to play in Denver. Hope he's at least almost as good!

[Lancane]

He was the first pick taken tonight that wasn't grinning from ear to ear or crying tears of joy.

He looked legitimately displeased to be coming to Denver.

I agree, he didn't look too happy, maybe he was just shocked. I don't know, I still wish we would have taken Bryant though.

[Ziggy]

Anyone know how to post the youtube link as a video box so you can just click on it and watch it in the original post? Help me out here.

[Denver Native (Carol)]

He was the first pick taken tonight that wasn't grinning from ear to ear or crying tears of joy.

He looked legitimately displeased to be coming to Denver.

What in the HELL were you watching tonight?????????

[DenBronx]

All I want to say is thank God we didnt go after Arelious Benn.

Thomas will be a beast for sure.

[getlynched47]

Demaryius Thomas reminds me of Michael Clayton from the Buccaneers. Clayton is a great player no? :rolleyes:

I get that Demaryius has potential, but he can't run routes. He's a very poor route runner, doesn't know how to run a route tree, and has inconsistent hands. He's a big play receiver, but it makes no difference if he can't separate by running routes.

His agent and himself CLAIM that he can run 4.3 and 4.4 in the 40 yard dash, but there's no proof. Do you think he's stupid enough to say that he runs 4.5 and 4.6? Hell no. I take his claim with a grain of salt. I didn't see 4.3 speed when watching videos of him.

I would've been much happier with taking Jared Odrick at 22 and Damian Williams in the 2nd round, but whatever.

[Lancane]

I loved this pick. I'm going on record RIGHT NOW saying he's going to be very good for us, and will probably contribute immediately. I'm a fan of this kid. Reminds me of a certain BEAST that used to play in Denver. Hope he's at least almost as good!

He reminds me a little of Marshall, but I did not see the jumping capability or the escapeability of Marshall. But he looks like he will be a solid wideout.

I still think we will take another wideout before the end of the draft...Cooper, White, Briscoe?

[Northman]

Yeah, I'm sure every thread on this forum will get sidetracked into a Tebow complaint thread eventually. Love or hate Tebow, let's talk about Thomas in this one.


I did.

[chanesaw]

If we are lucky, maybe one day he will be close to as good as Marshall. So why do you trade a WR if you are going to draft one in the first round?

[titan]

One ex-scout I've been reading for a few years is Russ Landis. He puts out a draft guide (GMJr) and works for the Sporting News. He's been right more often than wrong on players in the past.

Landis says this about Thomas:

"Thomas broken foot will limit his ability to work out for teams before the draft, but if he falls down the draft boards because of his injury some team is going to get a great bargain because in our view he's clearly the best receiver in the draft and has the talent to become a game changing receiver in time."

Landis top 4 players in his grading scale for 2010 are:

Sam Bradford 8.6
Suh 8.6
Derrick Morgan 8.6
Demaryius Thomas 8.6

(8.5-9.0: a pro bowl player, a true difference maker)

The year the Broncos drafted Cutler I was all excited about the pick. But it concerned me that Landis wasn't that high on Cutler. "Sloppy footwork - he'll throw alot of interceptions" Landis wrote at the time. He was right (so far) about Cutler - let's hope he's right about Thomas.

Good pick.

[underrated29]

I have been saying it and saying it. That he is a marshall clone balls to bones only faster. Its funny that Josh said the exact same thing.

[Tned]

Anyone know how to post the youtube link as a video box so you can just click on it and watch it in the original post? Help me out here.

If you get the youtube URL, it will have something that looks like this at the end: v=B1Dffa3SqxI

You take the series of letters and numbers after the = sign and would put youtube tags around it like this (but without the space between [ and /):


[youtube]B1Dffa3SqxI[ /youtube]

You can also put the numbers and letters in your post B1Dffa3SqxI then highlight it and click the youtube button (http://www.broncosforums.com/downloads/tv_opt.jpg) on the toolbar and it will automatically wrap the youtube tags around it.

[frauschieze]

Anyone know how to post the youtube link as a video box so you can just click on it and watch it in the original post? Help me out here.

I fixed it for you. :)

[Denver Native (Carol)]

http://www.denverpost.com/broncos/ci_14941636

Brandon who?

Well, the Broncos' first-round pick, wide receiver Demaryius Thomas of Georgia Tech, is built like Brandon Marshall.

A 6-foot-2, 229-pounder, Thomas caught 46 passes for 1,154 yards last season for a whopping 25.1 yards per catch and eight touchdowns.

Denver took Thomas at No. 22 of the first round, moving up two picks in a swap with New England.

"We're both big guys and probably have the same speed; I hope to be as successful as Brandon Marshall," Thomas said. "I make plays. I know how to run routes. I think I'll be fine."

Primarily an option-running team, Georgia Tech averaged just a dozen throws per game last season but Thomas accounted for almost 60 percent of the catches.

Thomas is not a burner, but uses his frame and has great leaping ability. He could play several positions.

After twice trading down in the first round, the Broncos moved up two spots to get Thomas. Denver traded the No. 24 pick plus one of their fourth-round picks (No. 113 overall) for New England's spot at No. 22.

The Broncos began the day with the No. 11 pick, but first traded down to No. 13 in a deal with San Francisco and then went from No. 13 to No. 24 in a trade with Philadelphia.

Denver accumulated three additional picks — two in the third round, one in the fourth — by twice trading down. But they gave one back to move up two lines to get Thomas.

"We liked Thomas," Broncos coach Josh McDaniels said. "He's a player that has some unique traits, unique skills.

"He's a smart player. That can help him get on the field."

As for the getting Thomas and former Florida quarterback Tim Tebow in the first round, McDaniels said, "We got two players we really coveted. We know what we're going to get from them — hard work.

Denver moved down three times and moved up twice in the first round. More of the same today?

"We're excited about tomorrow (rounds 2 and 3 today). We look to be aggressive," McDaniels said.

[honz]

If we are lucky, maybe one day he will be close to as good as Marshall. So why do you trade a WR if you are going to draft one in the first round?

Because we didn't want to pay Marshall $45 million.

[Hoser]

Demaryius Thomas reminds me of Michael Clayton from the Buccaneers. Clayton is a great player no? :rolleyes:

I get that Demaryius has potential, but he can't run routes. He's a very poor route runner, doesn't know how to run a route tree, and has inconsistent hands. He's a big play receiver, but it makes no difference if he can't separate by running routes.

His agent and himself CLAIM that he can run 4.3 and 4.4 in the 40 yard dash, but there's no proof. Do you think he's stupid enough to say that he runs 4.5 and 4.6? Hell no. I take his claim with a grain of salt. I didn't see 4.3 speed when watching videos of him.

I would've been much happier with taking Jared Odrick at 22 and Damian Williams in the 2nd round, but whatever.

It's not that he CAN'T run routes, it's just that he hasn't been asked to run routes. That doesn't mean he can't do it.

And apparently he was filmed running a 4.3 40 and sent the film to every team in the NFL. I'm not saying it's true or false, just my comments.

I agree he's a risk, but IMO I like him more than Dez just because he's not a potential R-Tard. He's a deep ball freak who will make Orton look great and give us some explosiveness.

[G_Money]

I hate taking 1st round WRs. There's no need.

Thomas has some skills worth honing, but very nearly all WRs are projects. Why pay the price for a first round project when the WRs are just as good in later rounds?

He's not a bad WR, I just don't like the price.

~G

[Northman]

I hate taking 1st round WRs. There's no need.

Thomas has some skills worth honing, but very nearly all WRs are projects. Why pay the price for a first round project when the WRs are just as good in later rounds?

He's not a bad WR, I just don't like the price.

~G

Now you know how i feel about Tebow.

[ikillz0mbies]

I do love this pick. I am totally in love with his size and he has great speed. Can't wait to see him on the field!

[LordTrychon]

I don't dare make Marshall comparisons. Many have downplayed what he has done, but I won't. Marshall was and is exceptional.

I hope Thomas works out well. That will be good enough for me. Glad we passed on Bryant, given our pick of the two.

[jhildebrand]

What in the HELL were you watching tonight?????????

I was watching ESPN when they cut to Thomas. At no point was there a smile or even a look of relief or joy. Maybe the guy is tightly wound and doesn't show much expression.

[jhildebrand]

He's a deep ball freak who will make Orton look great and give us some explosiveness.

This system doesn't utilize the deep ball. It didn't here this past season. Also, that would assume there was an O line that could provide the time for the deep ball. :laugh:

[honz]

I was watching ESPN when they cut to Thomas. At no point was there a smile or even a look of relief or joy. Maybe the guy is tightly wound and doesn't show much expression.

He was high fiving with the people around him...

[camdisco24]

I was watching ESPN when they cut to Thomas. At no point was there a smile or even a look of relief or joy. Maybe the guy is tightly wound and doesn't show much expression.

I think he was just showing emotion differently. It looked to me like he was taking it all in, but who knows.

As for Thomas as a player... I love ACC football and I have watched him tear up my Clemson tigers for a few years now. The guy is amazing and will be a great asset to our team. Plus he won't need a babysitter to wake him up for practice like Dez Bryant. His skills are close to Marshall, and his speed might be even better. I believe he will have an instant impact. :salute:

[G_Money]

We're gonna pay Thomas about 14 million to try to do what Marshall is getting paid 45 million to do.

I don't think Thomas will do it as well, but I think Royal will be better than last year. MAN I hope we can open the offense up a little in the next couple seasons. Watching Royal get sat on because he wasn't going further than 12 yards was depressing.

If Thomas can help us with that opening up process, all well and good - but there are some WRs in later rounds I would have liked fine. There aren't a lot of DTs down there I'm thrilled with.

It's nothing against Thomas - with Orton likely still the QB next year tho I'm having trouble seeing him light it up.

Still prepping for the future, I suppose. I guess it's like Moreno for me. HUGE fan of Moreno in college, but there were other backs I liked. I still gave that pick an A last year because his talent fit the selection, but how much better were we with Moreno on the ground?

He never got going. Year Two will hopefully be a different story, but when you take the best-rated player at the position (or have your choice, anyway) you expect some impact .

And I don't think Thomas's impact will be felt next season the way we'd like, which makes both of our first round picks future-impact selections.

~G

[dogfish]

All I want to say is thank God we didnt go after Arelious Benn.

Thomas will be a beast for sure.

i agree with this, i like thomas better than benn-- they both have questions about their hands, which i DON'T love at all in a 1st round receiver, but i haven't heard anyone question thomas' work ethic like i have with benn, and i think thomas looks like the more explosive of the two. . .

there are other guys i would have taken there-- and yea, i would have taken golden tate over thomas, even though he's short in comparison-- but i like thomas better than some of the other highly rated receivers like benn, damian williams or lafell. . . .



One ex-scout I've been reading for a few years is Russ Landis. He puts out a draft guide (GMJr) and works for the Sporting News. He's been right more often than wrong on players in the past.

Landis says this about Thomas:

"Thomas broken foot will limit his ability to work out for teams before the draft, but if he falls down the draft boards because of his injury some team is going to get a great bargain because in our view he's clearly the best receiver in the draft and has the talent to become a game changing receiver in time."

Landis top 4 players in his grading scale for 2010 are:

Sam Bradford 8.6
Suh 8.6
Derrick Morgan 8.6
Demaryius Thomas 8.6

(8.5-9.0: a pro bowl player, a true difference maker)

The year the Broncos drafted Cutler I was all excited about the pick. But it concerned me that Landis wasn't that high on Cutler. "Sloppy footwork - he'll throw alot of interceptions" Landis wrote at the time. He was right (so far) about Cutler - let's hope he's right about Thomas.

Good pick.

interesting stuff, thanks for sharing it. . .



ziggy, one thing i can tell you is that thomas will probably always be compared to dez bryant-- at least by broncos fans. . .

IMO, both guys have notable risks, and we just picked the risks we were most comfortable with. . . for thomas, it's whether/how quickly he can learn to run most or all of the pro routes, and refine other skills like getting off the press, reading coverages and adjusting routes, knowing when he's the hot read, disguising his routes, and all the other stuff he didnt get much practice at in the GT offense. . . not to mention proving he has reliable hands. . . as G said, all receivers are projects to some degree-- thomas is probably more so than the average. . .

with bryant, obviously you're concerned about his maturity and reliability. . . even deion sanders recently admitted that dez has problems being on time-- said he needed to "wear a big flavor flave clock around his neck". . . once he gets paid, will he put in the work to digest a pro playbook? will he cause you issues with erratic behavior? is he going to be the next pain in the ass, headache receiver? given how far he dropped, way further than a guy with his ability should have, it's clear that plenty of teams felt that these were legit concerns, not just trivial issues. . . now he'll get his chance to prove everyone wrong. . .

[Ziggy]

There are plenty of offensive and defensive lineman on the board G. Saffold, Ducasse, Brown, Asamoah, Thomas, Price, Houston, Troup, Tennant, Walton, etc. etc.

[G_Money]

There ARE plenty. I'm not terribly concerned, and I'm gonna wait out Josh's hyperactive bouncing around the draft board. I've been through it once, and this year can't possibly be as annoying as last in that fashion.

I'll letcha know how I feel about the draft once it plays out. ;) But if all you have to look at is the 1st round, then we got a WR with no QB who can hit him past 12 yards, and a QB who won't be ready to start for at least a year, maybe 2.

That doesn't scream domination or maximizing next year. It's not automatically bad, but there are questions.

But I'll keep watching and seeing what Josh and his front office put together. It's still not boring, and neither of the guys we've added are bad players or bad people. This isn't Ted Ginn or something.

~G

[Ziggy]

I expect McD to be just as aggressive tomorrow. It's his style. I'm just hoping that we don't trade next year's 1st. I can live with saying goodbye to a 2nd next year, but keep that 1st.

[Italianmobstr7]

If we are lucky, maybe one day he will be close to as good as Marshall. So why do you trade a WR if you are going to draft one in the first round?

Because Marshall didn't want to be in Denver, and Denver didn't want him to be here... We picked the WR that most resembled Marshall (according to Ed Warder stated by McD). I'm happy with the pick. We have a young guy who has a lot of potential that wants to be here. I think he'll be an immediate contributor. Not on the level of Marshall but will still help us quite a bit.

[dogfish]

There ARE plenty. I'm not terribly concerned, and I'm gonna wait out Josh's hyperactive bouncing around the draft board. I've been through it once, and this year can't possibly be as annoying as last in that fashion.



at least he moved down FIRST this year, and built up some extra value before blowing some off. . . i do question tebow in the 1st, but i don't hate the value on either pick, which is a relief-- making the big reach at #11 was one of my bigger pre-draft fears. . .

[G_Money]

Yep.

Tebow at 11 makes me cry.

Bryant at 11 makes me cry.

Thomas and Tebow in the 20s, with a lot of picks left? I can comfortably wait until tomorrow to see what those adds are without burning my house down in an inconsolable rage. ;)

And blame the Bills for Tebow in the first - they would have moved up to get him if we hadn't taken him there. They forced our hand if he was the only QB we'd be satisfied with.

~G

[Ziggy]

I was wondering if McD would show some patience and move down. He did, twice. I don't understand moving up 2 spots for Thomas when NE and GB were very unlikely to take him, but he had a ton of picks to work with.

[dogfish]

I expect McD to be just as aggressive tomorrow. It's his style. I'm just hoping that we don't trade next year's 1st. I can live with saying goodbye to a 2nd next year, but keep that 1st.

ya know, i'm sure people will call me crazy, because they're ultra-defensive about first round picks, but. . .

i think i honestly would've rather given next year's first straight-up for #25, and kept our second and third this year to add some more potentially immediate impact type guys. . . i know there's the risk that you miss out on a really high pick, but we could've minimized that some with two 2nds and three 3rds this year. . . i'm sure some people will also suggest that you can only fit so many rooks on your roster, but if they're guys you think are "pro ready," we could've built a lot of very talented depth very quickly-- which would've been big for a club that has lacked talented depth forever. . .

we really couldn't find room for ducasse or saffold instead of brandon gorin? koa misi or ricky sapp instead of jarvis moss? hardesty or gerhart instead of bruce hall?

i'm sure thomas will at least be given his chances, and tebow may contribute some in sub-packages or as a short yardage runner, but realistically i don't expect to get much production from either this year. . . we still have needs at both inside and outside linebacker and center, and could really also use a talented D-lineman to develop, a talented young corner, a fresh pair of legs at running back, AND ideally a versatile swing OL who could compete for the starting spot at OLG as well as providing depth at right tackle. . .

and yea, yea-- it's a lot of needs and you can't expect to fill all of them at once, etc etc. . . that's just it, though-- we COULD have filled so many of those needs, we really could have put this "rebuild" on a fast track with a major infusion of quality young talent. . . feels a bit like a missed opportunity to me, but oh well i guess. . .

*shrugs*

with the depth of this draft-- and the potential corresponding lack of depth next year, with so many talented juniors coming out, and possibly less incentive for juniors next year if there's a rookie wage scale-- that #43 this year could easily end up being just as good a player as the guy we'll get. . . let's just say in the teens next year, to avoid controversy. . . assuming that mcD doesn't still blow one of them off, we're going to have a 1st and two 2nds in what could end up being a weak draft-- there'll still be good players available, of course, and it's always nice to have leverage-- but we could've also gotten a year ahead of the process by bringing more guys in this year. . .

again, oh well. . . JMO. . .

[JDL]

One ex-scout I've been reading for a few years is Russ Landis. He puts out a draft guide (GMJr) and works for the Sporting News. He's been right more often than wrong on players in the past.

Landis says this about Thomas:

"Thomas broken foot will limit his ability to work out for teams before the draft, but if he falls down the draft boards because of his injury some team is going to get a great bargain because in our view he's clearly the best receiver in the draft and has the talent to become a game changing receiver in time."

Landis top 4 players in his grading scale for 2010 are:

Sam Bradford 8.6
Suh 8.6
Derrick Morgan 8.6
Demaryius Thomas 8.6

(8.5-9.0: a pro bowl player, a true difference maker)

The year the Broncos drafted Cutler I was all excited about the pick. But it concerned me that Landis wasn't that high on Cutler. "Sloppy footwork - he'll throw alot of interceptions" Landis wrote at the time. He was right (so far) about Cutler - let's hope he's right about Thomas.

Good pick.

Not to say too much about Thomas but the above is kind of a joke - Ayers was rated by some to be one of the 5 best in the draft last year and that DEFINITELY didn't show in his performance last year. Just saying.

[topscribe]

He looks like a man among boys out there. I'm much happier now.

BTW, regarding the possibility of his being displeased about Denver: I remember
when the Broncos drafted the legend Floyd Little. His reaction? "Denver, where
the hell is that?" :laugh: We know how that worked out, don't we?

-----

[topscribe]

Not to say too much about Thomas but the above is kind of a joke - Ayers was rated by some to be one of the 5 best in the draft last year and that DEFINITELY didn't show in his performance last year. Just saying.

Mayock still says Ayers will become the best defender in his draft class . . .

-----

[getlynched47]

Not to say too much about Thomas but the above is kind of a joke - Ayers was rated by some to be one of the 5 best in the draft last year and that DEFINITELY didn't show in his performance last year. Just saying.

Can't judge after 1 year, for goodness sakes.

[G_Money]

And while I normally agree with Mayock, I still think Ayers isn't gonna be anybody.

One-year wonder.

Thomas though has all the talent he would need (though he needs to practice CATCHING THE BALL) to have a long career. If he can pick up on Eddie Royal's work ethic and have Rod Smith show him how to run routes, he can stay a while.

~G

[topscribe]

And while I normally agree with Mayock, I still think Ayers isn't gonna be anybody.

One-year wonder.

Thomas though has all the talent he would need (though he needs to practice CATCHING THE BALL) to have a long career. If he can pick up on Eddie Royal's work ethic and have Rod Smith show him how to run routes, he can stay a while.

~G

It seems to me Ayers has already proven you wrong.

He came on pretty well toward the end of last year . . .

-----

[jhildebrand]

Funny.

I had the draft DVR'd (is that a term? :confused:) and just noticed the Saints pick. The DB from FSU they selected had a highlight reel shown where he got an easy INT on Demaryius Thomas. Even more bothersome is seeing Thomas simply give up on the play immediately.

[jhildebrand]

And while I normally agree with Mayock, I still think Ayers isn't gonna be anybody.

One-year wonder.

Thomas though has all the talent he would need (though he needs to practice CATCHING THE BALL) to have a long career. If he can pick up on Eddie Royal's work ethic and have Rod Smith show him how to run routes, he can stay a while.

~G

DL takes years especially if the DL is devoid of talent. Look at Mario Williams was being labeled a bust and now he is a premier DE in the league.

Give Ayers some time. I think he will come around.

[Ziggy]

Here's a great scouting report that lists both the good and bad on Bey-Bey

Demaryius Thomas NFL Draft scouting report
by Mocking Dan on Feb 6, 2010 6:00 AM EST in 2010 NFL Draft 25 comments

Demaryius Thomas
6'3, 230 pounds | Wide receiver | Georgia Tech

Acceleration/Burst/Quickness: Has long, powerful strides that can get him to top speed in a blink. Does not look explosive because of his long strides but he can get going with the best of them. Lacks short area quickness, struggles when he has to shorten his strides.

Agility/Leaping Ability: Well balanced athlete with strong hips. Does not make the last second short area movement to avoid hits however. Can out leap most if not all defensive backs. Gathers himself and times the leaps well to snatch the ball at the apex of his jump.

Blocking: Top tier blocker. Comes from an offensive system that had him making important blocks countless times week in and week out. Completely takes defensive backs out of a play, very strong from head to toe. Uses proper technique with knee bend and straight arms. Gives good effort and enjoys the physical part of the game.

Body Control/Adjustment: Very balanced that can adjust left, right, and upward very well. Struggles when going down to the ground while trying to make a catch. Was often sent downfield and had the quarterback simply throw it up and Thomas consistently adjusted his body position to make the tough catch.

Concentration/Hands: Rarely drops a ball within his reach, but does have the occasional lapse in concentration when nobody is around him. Has enormous, strong hands that easily control the football. A pure hands catcher, rarely lets it get into his body.

Release: Is more than physical/strong enough to toss away a corner in press coverage. Just needs more experience and work on technique to properly get in to his route against press coverage. Rarely saw it in college because he is too physical for most if not all collegiate corners.

Route Running: Very green as a route runner. Ran an extremely limited tree at Georgia Tech because of the simple scheme. Rounds his cuts and takes too many steps when he need to make a 90 degree or 180 degree turn. Needs a lot of work in this area.

Separation: Does not consistently get the separation underneath. The further downfield he gets, the more separation he obtains. However because he is a long strider, his shorter routes do not get the necessary separation.

Size/Length/Hand Size: Has the body of a small tight end. Enormous frame with a lot of weel evedloped muscle. Long arms and enormous hands. Makes the football like tiny when he is carrying it.

Speed: Has showed elite speed in the open field. Has run away from some fast defensive backs in the ACC. Appears slower than he is because of the length of his strides.

Vision/Run After the Catch: A weapon in the screen game. Very tough to tackle because of his size and power in his legs. More of a straight line runner than a guy that has the wiggle to make guys miss.

Final Word: In a scheme where the run comes first, second, and third, the ability of Thomas was not put on full display over the past few years. If he had been playing in an NFL pro set offense, Thomas could be the most sought after receiver in this class. But because of his lack of experience running the full route tree and reading coverages, he is going to enter the league as a raw talent that needs a lot of coaching. The ceiling with this player is just as high as any receiver in this class, yet he will likely be available in the second round. Considering his strong work ethic and love for all aspects of the game, one has to believe that Thomas is going to mold himself in to a top flight receiver in the NFL. Once he learns the little details surrounding technique, he is going to be a legit number one receiver that can do it all.