Lawrence Thomas, DL, Michigan St: 2016 NFL Draft Scouting Report
The guidance of Mark Dantonio at Michigan State has shaped and formed the program to be tough-minded, strong-willed football players. Over the years, the program has seen some physical play produced in its players.
The factory in East Lansing has churned out a LeVeon Bell, a Jeremy Langford, a Trae Waynes, and a Darqueze Dennard over the years. Defensive lineman Lawrence Thomas has aspirations to add his name to that distinguished list of Spartans to grace the NFL.
Thomas has worked his way to this point as he started off as a running back for Michigan State in 2012. Fast forward to now and Thomas can be a late-round pick with enough skills for a team to mold over time. Let’s take a look at his scouting report.
DL Lawrence Thomas, Michigan State
Height: 6-3
Weight: 286 lbs
Strengths: You can see the offensive athleticism in Thomas as he has a natural look to the athletic phase of his game. At the NFL Combine in February, Thomas displayed a 35 inch vertical, which tied him for fourth among defensive linemen.
Over the course of his collegiate career, Thomas saw time at running back early, as well as linebacker, nose tackle, and defensive end. Thomas shows a good bend as well as solid pad level even for a prospect with limited experience.
On film, Thomas displays consistent motor which coaches always look for. During his time at nose tackle, that motor came in handy when it was time to tie up blockers and keep his linebackers clean.
At this stage of his career, initially, Thomas has the look of a strong-side defensive end. Arm length is also in the equation for Thomas with 33 1/4 inch arms as well as nice hand measurements at 10 1/8 inches.
Weaknesses: Thomas almost has no hand techniques in his pass rushing arsenal. One of the most common red-flags in scouting defensive linemen is little hand usage. Unless Thomas wins with his arm length, you can almost count him out when it comes to disengaging from blockers.
Thomas also has little production, which can partially be chalked up to his little experience at the position. Thomas also has a very slow “burst” at the snap of the ball. At times when watching Thomas rush the passer, it seems as if he has no plan and many times he rarely gets deep into the backfield.
Even with 24 reps on the bench press at the Combine, Thomas didn’t consistently display the strength that a 280+ pound linemen should show.
Bottom line: Lawrence Thomas is a raw piece of clay at the moment. Drafting Thomas should come with the mindset that he is far from a finished product and may be two or three seasons away from being truly considered ready for consistent NFL duty in the trenches.
However, the arm length, the size, and the athleticism are definitely a few notches on his belt. Don’t expect Thomas to be a sack-eater as he only totaled six sacks in his career. Yet, Thomas can be molded. He has enough on the table for a team to take a late round look at his skill set.