STRENGTHS - Thomas is a fluid athlete that can maintain spacing in transition out of his pedal as well as break down in space. While he isn't physical in man coverage, he does an excellent job of timing his jump to either reach around and bat down the pass or cut the route off to make the interception. He does an outstanding job of playing the ball in the air, as he demonstrates the ability to consistently pluck the ball away from his frame and transition upfield quickly after the interception.
WEAKNESSES - On film, Thomas looks smaller than listed, and he also plays like a smaller man. He is not a physical player in press coverage, and against the run he consistently leaves his feet and tries to make arm tackles, often resulting in clean misses. He struggles to take on and disengage blockers, and does not use his hands well to keep them from locking on. In zone coverage he appears lost at times, as he struggles to get proper depth and is slow to react to receivers through his area, and does not read the QB consistently. While he's a fluid athlete, he lacks explosiveness closing from off the ball and lacks the long speed to stay with backs and slot receivers in space.
SUMMARY - Its easy to get excited by looking at a safety's stat line and seeing eight INTs as a senior, but Thomas' film unfortunately tells a very different story. While he is a fluid athlete in transition he is not a quick twitch athlete, and struggles to break and close effectively from off the ball in time to play the ball. He also lacks the long speed to cover in space, and cannot be relied upon to consistently cover slot receivers in man to man. When in position he does an excellent job of timing his breaks and playing the ball in the air, but too often from zone coverage he struggles to identify assignments and does not get proper depth when starting in the box. He also is a poor player against the run, as he is not competitive against blockers and tends to whiff on arm tackles by leaving his feet and targeting runners too low. If Thomas does not improve his instincts in zone coverage or production against the run, he is unlikely to ever become more than a backup at the NFL level.