August 31, 2012; Atlanta, GA, USA; Tennessee Volunteers defensive lineman Darrington Sentimore (94) and offensive linesman Dallas Thomas (71) celebrate after beating the North Carolina State Wolfpack at the Georgia Dome. Tennessee beat NC State 35-21. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Shirey-USA TODAY Sports
Dallas Thomas – OL – 6’5″/306
Dallas Thomas is a very versatile offensive lineman that was a three year starter at Tennessee.
During Thomas’ freshmen season he played sparingly on special teams, but started every game at left tackle during his sophomore season.
Thomas continued starting at left tackle during his junior season and performed extremely well. One notable performance came against South Carolina when he held Melvin Ingram and Jadeveon Clowney to just two tackles, no tackles for loss and no sacks.
Before Thomas’ senior season the Louisiana native was moved to guard in order to make room for Antonio “Tiny” Richardson at left tackle. Last season the Volunteers had one of the best offensive lines in the country and Thomas was named a second team All-SEC player, as well as a third team All-American.
Thomas has great strength but will probably be a guard at the next level because he does lack the quickness that you’d expect in an NFL caliber left tackle. Given that Thomas has two years of SEC experience playing at left tackle it does make him a slightly more attractive option in the draft, since he has the versatility to play at tackle in a pinch.
One thing that will affect Thomas’ draft stock is that he tore his labrum at the senior bowl in Mobile, AL. It usually takes 4-5 months to recover from that injury, which could likely cause Thomas to miss a significant part of training camp.
Although Thomas was invited to the NFL combine, he was unable to participate due to the injury. He also missed Tennessee’s pro day in March.
Before the injury several draft analysts projected Thomas to be drafted in the second round, some even thought he could possibly go late in the first round. He’s now projected to fall to at least the third round.
Where do we projected Dallas Thomas to be drafted?
We project that Dallas Thomas will be drafted in the third round, with the 66th overall pick by the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The Jaguars are a bit of a wildcard as to what positions they’ll be targeting in the draft. The team has several holes on offense and defense, including major question marks at quarterback and defensive end.
Most likely Jacksonville will address their needs at quarterback and defensive end in the first or second round. The Jaguars have a lot of needs on the offensive line as well and Dallas Thomas would go a long way towards filling those needs.
If Thomas fully recovers from his labrum injury then he will be a fantastic value in the third round, but that’s a big “IF”.
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