Chiefs vs. Bengals: DeAnthony Thomas Does What He Does Best

DeAnthony Thomas, the Black Mamba…or is that Kobe Bryant’s nickname?

Whatever, that doesn’t matter. All that matters is that Chiefs rookie jack-of-all-trades DeAnthony Thomas is extremely fast, and he showed that in his NFL debut on Thursday night.

In what looked to be a foolish decision to even field the punt, Thomas got hit by the gunner of the Cincinnati Bengals and bounced backward but didn’t fall down, then proceeded to weave his way down the field 80 yards for a touchdown.

This is the type of play that the Chiefs drafted Thomas for specifically, and he proved in his college career that he could get it done on a consistent basis from different areas of the field.

Kansas City would be foolish not to get Thomas involved as both a receiver and running back as well as a return specialist. He is arguably the most explosive athlete on a team that features Jamaal Charles.

Well, I won’t go that far, but he’s pretty explosive.

When Thomas’ draft stock kept falling because of a ‘slower’ than expected 40 yard dash time as well as his size, I was mystified. You can’t coach speed and playmaking ability, and this guy has it in spades. He finished the day with 118 all-purpose yards, 115 of which came on special teams.

Like I said, if the Chiefs were smart, they’d get him plenty of touches in the offensive gameplan.

I don’t think Thomas should have been a top 20 pick by any means, but I definitely feel like he can be one of the most impactful rookies in the league, and it was great to see him make the play he did on Thursday night, even with a questionable decision to field the ball.

When this player has the ball in his hands, football is just more exciting.