Joseph's Gems: Aztecs' Thomas could Prove to be a Worthwhile Project

 

 

 

 

We're now less than a week from the start of the 2022 NFL Draft, with still a week to go from Day 3, where many teams will be looking to strike it rich, including the Packers. While the back end of most NFL Rosters are full of 4th through 7th Round Picks, that doesn't mean these less heralded prospects can't turn around the fortunes of their future franchises. Will that be the case for the General Manager Brian Gutekunst and the Packers? One can only hope. Here's to Chapter 3 of  "Joseph's Gems", A Series dedicated to those diamond in the rough prospects who nobody's really talking about.

 

But let's recap, what's a "Gem" ?

 

Size - Adequate height and weight for the position (Within my own parameters, more on that later)

RAS - Must be able to compete at the NFL Level

Production - Gotta be a stat sheet stuffer. 

Competition - Power 5 vs Group of 5 vs FCS and below, it matters. 

 

Gems have to check at least 3 out of 4 of those boxes. If a player checks all 4, consider him SOLID GOLD as Certified by your favorite "GMologist" (Get it?)

 

For my third installment of the series, we're examining San Diego State Offensive Lineman Zachary Thomas.

 

 

Zachary Thomas is a 6th Year Senior(Covid-19 Exemption) from Carlsbad, CA. He was a 2-star recruit out of High School with offers from Colorado State, Nevada, and UNLV before committing to San Diego State. In 2020 Thomas was named 2nd-Team All-Mountain West and in 2021 was 1st-Team All-Mountain West. In addition to his great 2021 showing, Taylor was named to the Outland Trophy's(Nation's Best Interior Lineman) Watch List.  As a Senior, Thomas had a sack percentage of less than 1% and a pressure rate of less than 2%, and committed zero penalties in a whopping 560 straight offensive snaps. 

Zachary Thomas bills as an athletic swing tackle prospect who's best football has yet to make an appearance. He's got the physical part down, but is still very raw from a skills perspective. If Thomas can find himself in the right situation, he could put it all together well before the end of his first contract and morph into a Pro-Bowler, but his future coaching staff is going to have to be patient until that hidden talent starts to manifest itself.

 

 

SIZE - At 6'5 and 308lbs, he's definitely got the length to play inside and outside in the NFL. I'd probably like to see him still add another 10-15 lbs of muscle though if I'm projecting him at either tackle spot. With 33.875" arms and 10.25" hands he's more than sufficient for handling NFL defensive linemen. Again, I'd definitely like to see what an NFL conditioning program would do for him, but Day 1, I don't necessarily mind him rotating in as a Guard. Check.

 

RAS -

 

Thomas is a superior athlete for an offensive lineman. Although there are some concerns given his weight, bench, and vertical, those are all things that can be improved on with a great offseason program. I'm not knocking the facilities of SDSU, but NFL weight rooms and training staffs are on whole different level than the college game. I'm pretty sure a good plan to add strength to Thomas will be implemented successfully. But let's celebrate the good stuff. Thomas is tailor made for a zone-blocking offense, which the a lot of NFL offenses (including the Packers) just happen to run. Check.

 

PRODUCTION - Offensive linemen don't produce easily translatable stats like yards, catches, or touchdowns. However, you need to watch how many stats they "prevent", like sacks and tackles for loss. Thomas' sack and pressure percentage are almost non-existent with under 1% and 2% respectively, since no prospect is perfect, you can't really ask for much more here. Check.

 

COMPETITION - Unfortunately, Thomas' was rarely tested in the Mountain West Conference. Thomas became a full time starter in 2020 and continued through 2021, with notable games against Colorado, Arizona, and Utah. Throughout his entire career, he hasn't really had to deal with the kind of premium pass rushers that he'll face regularly in the NFL, which does leave a big of a question mark. No Check.

 

 

ANALYSIS - Zachary Thomas is swing tackle who probably will crack the rotation of an NFL offense on the interior sooner than later. His physical limitations are far from insurmountable. I see him as a guy who plays special teams and probably on the 2nd or 3rd unit Year 1, but in 2 years he should be more than a capable backup. He's got some skills to go with his athleticism, he just needs to refine his game, which a good offensive line coach will immediately go to work on. He's a bit of a project but, in 4 years it wouldn't surprise me to see Zachary Thomas as a starting Guard in the NFL with the potential to be a reliable Offensive Tackle in reserve.

 

Size? Check.

RAS? Check.

Production? Check.

Competition? Nah.

 

 

I'm certifying San Diego State's Zachary Thomas as a REAL GEM who any GM would be crazy to pass up in the 6th Round!!!! Could he be the Packers next swing tackle in waiting? Only one way to find out, catch the 2022 NFL Draft this Thursday at 7pm CST on NFL Network but don't forget to catch up on all the latest buzz with the CHTV crew as we stream live during the entire Draft, you don't want to miss it.

 

 

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Joseph has been an avid fan of the Green Bay Packers since 1997, citing an affinity for dairy products during his childhood and his favorite color, green. Born in Jacksonville, FL, Joseph currently is an Active Duty servicemember in the U.S. Armed Forces. Joseph considers himself a lifelong fan of the game of football, competing since his youth well into adulthood. When it comes to the Pack, Joseph is particularly impassioned about the NFL Draft and collegiate scouting process, and will contribute regularly on CHTV.com leading to that year's upcoming Draft. You can follow him on Twitter at @joeyreyallday.

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Comments (3)

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croatpackfan's picture

April 24, 2022 at 03:04 am

I think that all of your 3 (up today) articles pointing to intriguing players. I'm waiting for more ;-)

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Mark King's picture

April 24, 2022 at 07:43 am

Ted excelled in lower round " gems". It is important. Enjoy this kind of article !!

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PackEyedOptimist's picture

April 24, 2022 at 09:29 am

While bench can be improved over time/coaching (Mark Chmura was an excellent example), I worry about it a lot for offensive linemen. I find it to be the #1 physical determiner for success as an OL. (production, intelligence, knee-bend, wrestling background, etc. are also high indicators)
Guys like Thomas end up on practice squads for two years, then MAYBE become strong enough to make the regular roster (see Jake Hanson, et. al.)

Love this series though, JosephR! :-)

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