DawgTalkers.net Forums The Archives 2018 NFL Season 2018 NFL Draft Browns Select DE Chad Thomas

This pick is a little bit sketchy.

Well, he can rush the passer, and can set an edge.

I think that has value.

Further, it is apparent that we w=are going to follow the Eagles' example, and send waves of pass rushers after opposing QBs. I think that both Thomas and Avery can be used in an outside pass rushing role, along with the leftover guys from last year.

Setting the edge is not the end of the story...can he disengage from his blocker to also make a play?

Berry said that Thomas has good hands, but that is in contradiction to the scouting reports out there on him.

He was somewhat of a reach, but I think that this pick is a residual effect of taking Ward over Chubb @4, because we do not reach for him there, if we had already selected Chubb.

Whats done is done, now I hope that these picks will prove me wrong, because I love for them to prove me wrong, because if I am wrong on these guys, I am still a winner if they turn out to be part of the winning combination that finally turns this franchise around.

I watched 2-3 of Miami's games this year and this kid stood out with constant pressure and making plays and I thought hmmm I wouldn't seeing him in an Orange Helmut ...

I just watched the VA game and he did absolutely nothing. Slow to react, little to no burst, looked lost on some runs.

Watch the Wisconsin tape from 2017. In 2016 they dropped him a lot which is admittedly not a strength of his.

I'm going back through it and so far 2 minutes in:

Every outside run is to the opposite side of the field.

Every interior pass rush he either splits two defenders and gets pressure or occupies multiple blockers and someone else gets pressure.

post 2 mins:

Gets double teamed on a run to his side, but still sets the edge and turns it back inside.

Blows up running back trying to pick him up.

Good with his hands and rips past the OT for a sack.

TFL scraping down the line from the backside.

Njoku on Chad Thomas: From personal experience Chad is a true dog! Hes not afraid of anything & I was really excited we picked him up.I cant say this enough, he's not afraid of ANYTHING! Hes gonna ball out. I'm really excited to see him perform!

https://twitter.com/SiriusXMNFL/status/995041598777028610

lol, well i guess that's good if we're going bungie jumping or something.

Is fearlessness a quality attribute in pro football? I mean, the guy's really big and strong. What's he got to be afraid of on the football field?

I mean, at least we know he won't get picked on by Richie Incognito or something

In WR it probably is a big attribute but at the DE position - it's like the trait that everyone more so has.

I'd like to see the kid ball out though as David said lol. Heck, I'd like to see them both ball out.

Will Chad Thomas offset the loss of not drafting Bradley Chubb?

BEREA, Ohio -- It's a well-known fact the Browns passed on Bradley Chubb with the fourth-overall pick in the NFL Draft to select cornerback Denzel Ward.

Many Browns fans wonder if passing up Chubb will come back to haunt them.

However, the Browns still addressed the defensive end position high in the third-round by drafting Chad Thomas from the University of Miami by trading up and selecting him with the 67th overall pick.

VP of Player Personnel Andrew Berry said the Browns project Thomas to immediately step in the rotation and contribute.
“We think he is a guy that can contribute right away," Berry said after Thomas was drafted. "Realistically, he is going to have to earn every opportunity and earn every snap just like every guy that we bring in, but we think he is a very talented, strong, athletic defensive linemen that can play in multiple spots along our front.”

So how does Thomas project to the NFL.

NFLDraftScout.com summarized Thomas' strengths this way: "Long, athletic player with good size and great natural strength with room to add bulk to his frame. Has played all along the line and will provide pressure from the edge even if asked to stand up. Enough coordination and speed to chase down plays in the flats when necessary. Shows some hand-fighting ability when he is in one-on-one situations and doesn't shy away from contact or try to simply speed around blockers.

"Is fast enough to reach running backs from the backside and does a nice job of keeping containment against rolling quarterbacks and cutback runs. Brings relentless energy and does not quit on plays. Does a nice job dipping and knifing between blocks when rushing from inside and has plenty of juice to chase down quarterbacks once he's free in the backfield. Strong enough to pull down bigger passers and runners once he gets his hands on them."

They compared Thomas to Za'Darius Smith of the Ravens.

Thomas aspires someday to be as good as fellow Miami alum Warren Sapp, who trained with him prior to the draft.

"When they try to run, I feel like I’m Warren Sapp," Thomas said at the NFL Combine. "You ain’t coming through my gap.

“My strength is my speed and my power setting the edge."

Berry said the Browns gave him high marks, especially against the run.

"We thought that Chad at 6-5, 275 pounds was one of the most physical defensive linemen in the draft," Berry said. "We think his run defense will play immediately in the NFL as a left end in our system. He can kick down inside and rush the passer from inside, as well. We are really excited to add him to the team and think his best football is in front of him."

Berry said Thomas was one of the most physical linemen available in this year's draft.
“Really, it shows up with his hand use and his strength," he said. "He is a player when we talk about setting the edge or keeping contained in the run-game, he can really put on a clinic tape of being able to do that at one of the end spots. He is just a strong, long, physical guy that uses his hands well.”

Thomas is excited in working with defensive coordinator Gregg Williams' system.
“Just learning about it," he said. "You can tell in just having one meeting with him last night that I already know what time it is – time to work.

https://247sports.com/nfl/cleveland-brow...Chubb-118199740

Ye gods, but I love that kind of talk! Waves of sackers. Not since my childhood! Maybe while Romeo had us ramped up for awhile. But not much to point to since.

lol. Love the title of this article.

Chad Thomas is supposed to be a good athlete. He's supposed to be good verses the run.

But he wasn't a very productive pass rusher (says the analysts), and when I watched Miami, I didn't notice the guy. You watch NC State, you don't miss Bradley Chubb. That is why he was my guy.

Chubb's an athlete who's also a phenomenal football player (at least at the college level). I don't think the same can be said in terms of football skills with Thomas.

Doesn't mean Thomas won't be an asset, but I don't think we should get our hopes up too much on the guy. Should be good substitution on run plays though. And I'm excited about the other DE that came from Cincy. Cincy fans seemed to like the guy


If we're hoping Thomas offsets Chubb, we'll be dissapointed. Denzel Ward's the one who has to offset Chubb

I think that Chad Thomas irrespective of the draft and the possibilities of what if? I think that he can fill a need at LDE, because I think that the drop off behind Ogbah there was greater than on the weekside,  ...  Not that Garrett is replaceable, but in a greater since of the execution of responsibilities.

Smith is a player I have to see, before I am ready to elevate him to the roster as the 4th DE.
(Those of you who follow the PFF scores know that they rated Smith the 81st DE in 2017, scoring lower than even Nate Orchard, coming in at #76 iirc.)

Nassib (#54) doesn't get alot of love around here, but I always thought that the LDE was not his best position and I think that spelling MG would better suit his talent imo...

Anyway Dawgs ... Tis the season for optimistic thoughts ... Will the next Joe Schobert please stand up! 

At the end of the day/debate ... We all bleed Brown and Orange.

Go Browns!!!

I think Nassib has to become stronger and less one-dimensional to make the team. He's very slight

You can't compare Thomas to Chubb. You need to compare the impact Ward has on the team.

I think he is history.

Agreed. (As I posted earlier), Bradley Chubb was drafted as an impact player and Denzel Ward was drafted as an impact player. Not the same position, but both drafted as impact players.

Chad Thomas was drafted as rotational depth, with the hope that he can work himself into a role that's something more.

Different expectations

I think that he has decent strength and speed, but he lacks in the overall athleticism and instincts that great pass rushers have. He is a run straight at the QB, all the time, guy. Even the best of these is easier to block than a guy with the ability to bend and counter. At least 2 of his career sacks have been when he was completely unblocked.

He also isn't really a true DE or a true DT. I do agree that he would need to add some weight/strength to potentially be a average to above DT, but wonder if that would hurt his speed. (and he is not extremely fast to start with) I don't think that he is necessarily small for a 4-3 DE .... he just lacks in the athleticism/speed/quickness/bend to play there. He really has no plus level attributes, instead just being kind of "OK" across the board. The Browns have really done him no favors at trying to have him play both spots.

Agreed. He's a "high-motor guy" without the athleticism and talent to boot.


He's certainly gotta be looking over his shoulder. And he'll need to add something to his game this season because he's not much of a pass rusher, and he's shown himself to be a liability verses the run.

He's struggling to find a role that he can successfully fill on this team, and I'm not sure he has the athleticism to figure it out. He better figure out some technique, really improve his handwork, and learn to rush the passer while keeping an edge verses the run

It’s funny. After his first preseason people were taking about Nassib being ‘our JJ Watt’....
I was not so sure, but I was hopeful he’d at least be somewhat impactful. He’s proving to be another example of the Browns drafting ‘just another guy’.
I think projecting rookies is a futile gesture. I’m done with it. I’m done caring much at all about any rookie.
Show me. Then I’ll care. Then I’ll take the time to remember your name and number.

Agreed, with your whole post.

I was just laughing at the title of the article. As I was saying before. Chubb's an impact player and Thomas is a guy we're bringing in hoping to fit a role.

Emmanuel Ogbah and Myles Garrett are our starting DE's. There probably won't be the same type of rotation, the way there would have been if Chubb joined the team as well.

I preferred Chubb over Ward (wanted Barkley the most). But, like I was saying, the person who is going to offset Chubb isn't Thomas, it's Ward. That's the impact player we brought in.


Comparing Thomas and Chubb at this point isn't really fair. Maybe Thomas will surprise and come out as a tremendous player. Not very likely though. If he can be a solid rotational DE that has a chance to someday become a decent starter, it'll be a successful pick

The Browns have signed third-round defensive Chad Thomas and fourth-round receiver Antonio Callaway to their four-year rookie contracts.

They now have six of their nine draft picks under contract in their first week of OTAs.
https://www.cleveland.com/browns/index.ssf/2018/05/browns_sign_chad_thomas_and_an.html

Thomas was the biggest question mark to me. The pick didn't seem to gel in my mind, but I hope I'm wrong!

I think he was drafted to take over for Nassib. Nassib has had his chance and has proven to be just "a guy".

Draft 'em, if they pan out, great. If they are just "guys", draft another and give him a shot. Two/three years from now Thomas may be in the same boat and we move on again.

After looking and researching a little more finally into Chad, I guess I'm just not all that excited for this 3rd rounder.

If he takes to coaching and uses his power and etc with that coaching, then okay, I'm sure we'll be happy to rotate him with Myles/Emmanuel. If not, his athletic ability isn't going to get him much against NFL o-lineman.

He may be the final person that makes Nate Orhard be on the side of Hard Knocks that we'll see when he's released.

I think the big selling point for Thomas is the staff sees him as a guy who can play outside as well as inside. Williams has to like that idea.

I honestly haven't seen enough of him to know his ability to play inside. I do know he's better against the run/setting the edge (something we've sorely needed).

Maybe I questioned the pick simply because I didn't expect it.