Thayer Thomas, WR North Carolina State: 2023 NFL Draft Profile

Thomas was a recruit from Heritage High School in Wake Forest, N.C. in the class of 2017

Sixth-year North Carolina State wide receiver Thayer Thomas has transformed from a walk-on to a potential selection in the 2023 NFL Draft. He doesn’t have a high ceiling as a prospect, but the versatile slot receiver and punt returner should hear his name called in the spring.

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Thayer Thomas, WR North Carolina State: 2023 NFL Draft Profile

Classification: Sixth year graduate slot receiver from Wake Forest, N.C.

Background: Thomas was a recruit from Heritage High School in Wake Forest, N.C. in the class of 2017. He did not receive a star or recruit ranking from 247Sports, Rivals, On3.com, or ESPN. Thomas began his college career as a walk-on before being awarded a scholarship as a redshirt freshman in 2018. Growing up, he participated in baseball, basketball, football, and gymnastics. As a high school senior, he produced 74 receptions for 965 yards and seven touchdowns. As a junior, Thomas totaled 35 receptions for 510 yards and four touchdowns despite missing six games. He was an All-Metro performer on the baseball team and earned All-Conference honors in baseball, basketball, and football as a junior and senior. Thomas graduated holding his high school’s records for receptions in football, assists in basketball, and hits, batting average, slugging percentage, and on-base percentage in baseball. He also set the school’s single-season baseball records for hits (35), batting average (.473), and on-base percentage (.561). In 2019, Thomas played baseball at North Carolina State as an outfielder. The Boston Red Sox drafted him in the 33rd round of the 2019 MLB Draft. His younger brother (Drake Thomas) is a decorated linebacker who also plays for North Carolina State. Their father (Trevor Thomas) played guard at Marshall, where he earned All-Southern Conference honors three times and was a part of three Division I-AA National Championship games.

2021 Production: 12 games, 51 receptions, 596 yards, 8 touchdowns + 17 punt returns, 162 yards

2020 Production: 12 games, 42 receptions, 529 yards, 6 touchdowns + 10 punt returns, 100 yards + 1 passing touchdown

2019 Production: 12 games, 31 receptions, 334 yards, 3 touchdowns + 11 punt returns, 151 yards, 1 touchdown + 2 passing touchdowns

2018 Production: 13 games, 34 receptions, 383 yards, 3 touchdowns + 15 punt returns, 140 yards

2017 Production: (Redshirt Year)

Injuries & Off-Field: Missed six games in his junior year of high school

Awards: 2020 Third-Team All-ACC (Special Teams)

Pros: Drops are rare, special teams experience on the kick return, kick coverage, punt return, and punt coverage units, upside as a passer on trick plays, throws a soft catchable ball with a nice spiral, infrequently penalized, rarely fumbles, excellent adjustments to the football, ball tracking, quick into and out of breaks, shows some elusiveness, quick off the line, concentration at the catch point, surprising production in contested catch situations, natural separator, good open field vision, speed is adequate, exceptional route running, change of direction skills, routes are crisp and not rounded, executes subtle moves in the open field, hesitation move to freeze defensive backs before blowing past them, quick foot speed, shows effort as a blocker

Cons: Age, slot-only option, frame appears maxed out, lacks the size to consistently compete for contested catches, doesn’t consistently make defenders miss in space, not a burner, struggles to stack defenders vertically, limited catch radius, frame lacks the bulk to handle aggressive press coverage, given plenty of free releases, struggles to track and land solid blocks on defenders, room to improve his use of leverage, blocking footwork and framing is underdeveloped, limited physical upside, needs to use hands and arms more when fighting through contact in his stem

Overview: Thomas is unofficially listed at 6'0", 195 lbs. The former walk-on offers upside as a special teams player considering he has experience on the kick return, kick coverage, punt return, and punt coverage units. Thomas displays excellent ball skills. He rarely drops passes and makes good adjustments while the ball is in the air. Thomas tracks the football well and shows concentration at the catch point to win in a surprising number of contested situations. He has good open-field vision, which he shows in YAC situations and as a punt returner. Thomas doesn’t have breakaway speed, but he’s fast enough to pick up chunk plays. Similarly, he’s not twitchy and lacks elite elusiveness, but he displays enough agility, elusiveness, and subtle cuts to make defenders miss in space. Thomas is an exceptional route runner who is quick into and out of breaks thanks to his agility and change of direction skills. His routes are crisp and not rounded, which helps him generate natural separation. Thomas is quick off the line and deploys a hesitation move to freeze defensive backs before blowing past them. His quick foot speed makes his hesitation move lethal while aiding his release package. The North Carolina native offers upside as a passer on trick plays. He throws a soft, catchable ball with a nice spiral. Unfortunately, Thomas is an older, slot-only prospect who appears to have a maxed-out frame. His smaller stature impacts his ability to consistently compete for contested catches, break tackles, and sustain blocks. Thomas has a limited catch radius and struggles to stack defenders vertically because he’s not a burner. There are some concerns about his ability to handle press coverage and contact early in routes. Thomas benefits from plenty of free releases in college. He doesn’t consistently make defenders miss in space. Thomas needs to use his hands and arms more when fighting through contact in his stem rather than just relying on his feet. As a blocker, the older Thomas brother struggles to track and land solid blocks on defenders. He shows effort as a blocker, but his footwork and framing are severely underdeveloped. There’s room for Thomas to improve his use of leverage as a route runner and blocker.

Overall, Thomas is a high-floor, low-ceiling prospect limited by his lack of physical upside who should contribute in the slot and on special teams as a rookie. The walk-on turned starter has the savvy route running and enough athleticism to consistently generate separation and provide his quarterback with an open target.   

Round Projection: Late Fifth to Late Sixth

Player Comparison: N/A

Submitted: 11-04-22