2021 NFL Draft: Top prospects to watch for each ACC team
By Kyle Edmond
Georgia Tech – Charlie Thomas, Defensive Back, Junior
Georgia Tech was another school from the ACC that had just once selection and in the 2021 NFL Draft, Charlie Thomas has the best chance of being the pick for the Yellow Jackets. Despite being in the secondary, Thomas found ways to produce in every part of the game for Georgia Tech during the 2019 season.
Beginning in the “secondary stats” Thomas surprisingly didn’t have any sacks, but was able to contribute in other ways, logging two pass break-ups and two passes defended while knocking loose to fumbles.
Where Thomas really made his impact was up on the line and in the backfield, which is a bit odd for a defensive back. Over the course of 12 games, Thomas registered 9.5 tackles for loss as well as a pair of sacks while having a total of 65 tackles.
It’s not often to have a defensive back that plays up front that much, but it is becoming more common in the NFL. Players like Mark Barron and Su’a Cravens made careers out of being linebacker-safety hybrids and with the stats that Thomas put up, he could be placed in that conversation as having the ability to do both, which is a great piece for defenses to have.