Nathan Thomas, OT Louisiana: 2024 NFL Draft Profile

Thomas was a three-star recruit from Chalmette High School in Chalmette, La. in the class of 2019

Later this year, Nathan Thomas has a chance to be the latest Louisiana offensive lineman drafted. Thomas projects as a developmental day three pick in the 2024 NFL Draft who might kick inside to guard at the next level.

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Nathan Thomas, OT Louisiana: 2024 NFL Draft Profile

Classification: Fifth-year redshirt junior left tackle from New Orleans, La.

Background: Thomas was a three-star recruit from Chalmette High School in Chalmette, La. in the class of 2019. He was the No. 2,476 recruit according to 247Sports and No. 2,405 for On3.com. Thomas was an unranked two-star recruit for Rivals and an unranked three-star recruit for ESPN with a 71 grade out of 100. During his junior year, he helped Chalmette amass 368 points and produce 2,381 rushing yards. Thomas primarily played tight end in high school, which led to his extended stay in college as he changed positions. He was born on Aug. 22, 2001.

Injuries & Off-Field: N/A

Awards: 2023 Honorable Mention All-Sun Belt

Pros: Penalties have never been a major concern, great size, thick and filled out frame, gains good depth in his pass set, engulfs defenders who enter half-man relationships, flashes of powerful extensions to send defenders flying wide of the play, recognizes stunts and delayed blitzes, meets power with a wide base, defenders struggle to play through his frame, good core strength to torque and manipulate defenders, physically dominant against lesser competition, able to displace defenders when squared to them, effective on down blocks

Cons: Arm length is good but not great, instances of being outreached and never regaining control of the rep, must learn to maximize his length and defend his chest, hand placement is wide, inconsistent pad level, needs to refit hands quicker and more often, hands lack pop, doesn’t counter long-arms or bull rushes well, footwork in pass pro is segmented, beaten around the corner by explosive edge rushers, lateral agility is limited by heavy feet, struggled to match Richard Jibunor’s speed off the edge (2023), caught leaning in pass pro at times, doesn’t mix up or vary pass sets, appears to have limited hip flexibility, awareness in the run game and on scramble drills, not a mauler or nasty blocker by any measure, doesn’t live up to his size in the run game, would like to see more latch and drive in the run game, doesn’t appear to have standout open field speed or agility, poor angles to second-level blockers

Overview: The first thing that jumps out about Thomas on tape is his size. He looks the part of an NFL lineman. According to Senior Bowl Director Jim Nagy, Thomas is 6'4 1/2" and 333 lbs. with 33 5/8-inch arms and 10 5/8-inch hands. That arm length is more ideal for an NFL guard than a tackle, and a move inside would help protect Thomas from the speedy or explosive edge rushers, like Troy’s Richard Jibunor, who beat him up the arc. The redshirt junior lineman’s lateral agility is limited by heavy feet. Refining his footwork so it’s less segmented will help prepare Thomas for the next level. His arm length leads to him being outreached and pushed onto his heels early in plays. The Louisiana native must learn to maximize his length and defend his chest. His hand placement is wide on plays when squared up with defenders, which combines with his inconsistent pad level to create more issues in pass protection. Thomas will benefit from refitting his hands quicker and more often to protect his chest, counter long-arms or bull rushes, and properly frame blocks. He is caught leaning on defenders in pass protection at times and doesn’t vary pass sets often. Some of that will come with more experience and exposure to coaching at the next level. Thomas has a thick and filled out frame that is pro-ready. There are flashes of him gaining good depth in his pass sets. This could become a routine occurrence with more consistent footwork. Thomas engulfs defenders who enter half-man relationships, leaning into his bulk and strength to kill the rush quickly. There are plays where his powerful extensions put defenders on skates and send them stumbling away from the play. His awareness in pass protection is impressive since he frequently recognizes stunts and delayed blitzes. Defenders struggle to play through Thomas’ frame and powerful base. The All-Sun Belt honorable mention appears to have limited hip flexibility but has the core strength to torque defenders out of running lanes. He displaces defenders when squared up with them in the run game, but he lacks the nasty demeanor to maul defenders. Thomas must be more aggressive and play to his size in the run game. He lacks ideal open field speed and agility and takes poor angles to second-level blocks. Thomas washes defenders away on down blocks.

Overall, Thomas has the size and play strength to be drafted, but his lackluster hand usage, lateral explosiveness, and demeanor in the run game suggest he’s a developmental day three selection and multi-year project. Thomas might benefit from kicking inside to guard to prevent matchups against explosive, wide-alignment rushers. Thomas is newer to playing along the line, so there’s plenty of developmental upside baked into his profile.

Role & Scheme Fit: Multi-year project at left tackle, possible guard convert

Round Projection: Sixth Round

Size: 6'5", 334 lbs. (Unofficial)

Submitted: 12-30-23