Earl Thomas, Safety |
| Notes on Earl Thomas |
| Only a Redshirt Sophomore. Started both years he played. Instinctive, playmaking Safety. Picked off 8 passes in 2009 and 10 for his career. Outstanding in man coverage. Has the speed, quickness, and agility to stick with WRs. Looks like he could play CB. Also excels when playing zone or just sitting off the ball and reacting to what's in front of him. Great break on the ball. Anticipates plays really well. There are times when it looks like he's knows exactly what is coming. Had a great INT vs Texas Tech when he was in the slot and left his receiver to break on the outside receiver who was running a slant. Earl picked the pass and ran it back for a TD. He never saw the ball coming. Instincts + film study told him the QB would go for the slant. Words don't do the INT justice. Earl has great ball skills.
Tackling is an area where Earl needs work. He's fine out in space where he can see a target and go attack the ball. He takes good angles to the ball. Earl has some pop as a hitter. He prefers hitting targets to being a wrap-up tackler. Making plays in traffic down in the box area is a different story. Earl struggles down there. Put on the National Title game and you'll see him at his worst. Earl was diving at Mark Ingram's legs. He reached out to try and tackle on one play. Ingram ran through that attempt. Earl got pushed away by a stiff arm on another run. You can't always attack targets from a distance. Earl must improve his ability to tackle in close quarters. 1st round player who could go in the Top 15. |