Tag: Adonis Thomas

Adonis Thomas catches on with Browns

The Cleveland Browns already added one rookie running back, and now they have another. Undrafted free agent Adonis Thomas impressed enough during his tryout to earn a contract and an invitation to training camp. The Browns cut running back Armond Smith to make room.

Thomas still has an uphill battle to make the final roster, competing with Montario Hardesty, Brandon Jackson and Chris Ogbonnaya, but he may have the skill set the Browns are looking for in their third-string running back.

While it didn’t come as a huge surprise when Thomas went undrafted, he was a personal favorite of mine and earned a late 3rd-round grade. He’s lacks the elite speed of a typical third-down back, but otherwise has the skill set teams look for to fill that hole. He’s an elite receiver out of the backfield and a tough runner for his size.

A broken arm caused him to miss time in 2011, which could have led to his fall in the draft. But before the injury, Thomas played a key role in Toledo’s near upset of Ohio State.

Adonis Thomas scouting report

Adonis Thomas RB Toledo #24
Ht: 5’10”

Wt: 185

 
Strengths:
Incredibly shifty runner; does a great job making himself small to slip through holes at the line of scrimmage. Very tough to bring down in the open field; quick feet and exceptional stop-and-start ability. A patient runner with great vision; anticipates holes opening and hits them with an impressive burst. Excellent receiver out of the backfield; great hands and explosive after the catch (30+ catches and 10+ yards per rec in each of past two seasons). Has experience taking direct snaps. Did not return kicks/punts in college but has the skill set to handle those duties at the next level.
Weaknesses:
Undersized. Teams would probably be more comfortable about his ability to handle an NFL workload if he added 5-10 pounds of muscle. Missed time with a broken arm in 2011. Lacks the special teams experience that you’d like from a back with his skill set. Will occasionally dance too much in the backfield in effort to break big run instead of settling for modest gain. Lacks the strength to offer much as a blocker. Limited experience against top competition.
Comments:
Thomas is underrated due to his lack of size and the fact that he played in the MAC, but he has obvious NFL talent. He is every bit as explosive as the more well-known LaMichael James, but what gives him an edge over James is his vision and body control. Thomas is a impressively polished runner has the instincts and vision to run between the tackles, but the explosiveness and speed to be a home run hitter as well. Thomas hasn’t faced many elite opponents, but he proved himself to be a legitimate threat in Toledo’s near-upset of Ohio State in 2011.
Videos:
2011 vs NIU