STRENGTHS - Gets moving quickly at the snap of the ball and is able to accelerate fast to close cushion when cornerback lines up off the LOS. Not only does he get to full speed fast, but he has the playing speed to get behind the defense and create deep separation. He does a good job of selling fakes to turn cornerback and is able to get open because of them. When he feels he has to break off a route he shows the athleticism, especially agility and feet, to get turned around with head and hands in right spot to catch pass. When he tucks the ball away cleanly he is quick getting started up the field after the catch, runs strong and aggressively with the ball which helps him to run through arm/grab tackles and hits to gain yards after contact. When he maintains focus he shows good hands and combined with his body control and coordination has shown the ability to adjust and catch off-target passes. Highly competitive, Thompkins gets after defender quickly on blocks, stays over feet and blocks man out of the play consistently. .
WEAKNESSES - Despite showing the ability to break off route to adjust to quick hitting passes and to turn cornerback around with good fakes, Thompkins needs to improve his route running. His footwork running routes needs work - He does not get in and out of cuts quickly, which hinders his ability to create separation consistently. Additionally, for a player who makes highlight catches seem easy, he seems to lose focus at times which leads to him dropping passes he should easily catch. For a receiver with good playing strength and athleticism, it is surprising how he struggles fighting through a cornerback's jam to release quickly vs press coverage.
SUMMARY - After a strong week at the Texas Versus the Nation Game, I expected more from Thompkins when I evaluated the film. However, he is much more of an inconsistent player than a polished, consistent one ready to contribute immediately in the NFL. There is little doubt from what I have seen that he has the talent to be a productive starting receiver in the NFL, but if he does not greatly improve his consistency catching the ball and run much sharper routes then he will have a hard time making an NFL roster. Overall, I think Thompkins will be a late round pick because of his physical talent and potential, but he is definitely a developmental prospect who may be best off spending a season on a practice squad to improve his route running and hopefully to get him to maintain focus/concentration so that he can catch the ball more consistently.