FRISCO, Texas – Before the rookies officially arrive for Thursday's minicamp, let's take a closer look at each selection, with what they've done, how they might fit and what was said about the pick over the weekend.
Today, let's continue with seventh-round pick Nathan Thomas
- Name: Nathan Thomas
- Position: Offensive Line
- School: Louisiana
- Selection: 7th round (233rd overall)
What He's Bringing: Thomas is definitely bringing size to the table. At 6-5, 335, Thomas is going to be hard to miss, no matter what position he plays – whether it's tackle or guard. He does bring that kind of experience and versatility, which is always a plus for teams needing depth across the line. Thomas should be the type of player to ultimately compete for four different spots – both tackle and guard spots. He does have some injury history with multiple issues he's dealt with during his collegiate days, which is the reason he slipped to the seventh round. Talent-wise and size-wise, Thomas is a mid-round projection. If he can stay healthy, this could be a potential steal for the Cowboys.
Where He's Playing: That's not something the Cowboys can answer right away, and that's a good thing. Position flex for seventh-round picks can only help the players, themselves. When asked about it after the draft, Thomas said many teams, including the Cowboys saw him as both positions. "It was both. A lot of teams told me that they can see me playing both, but (the Cowboys) think that guard is probably what I'm going to be most suited for."
What They're Saying: Here are some quotes that came out of draft weekend after the Cowboys selected Thomas in the seventh round.
- VP of Player Personnel Will McClay: "We think that there is a great upside there in Nate Thomas. When you look at the draft, any year we go and look at the strengths and weaknesses of the draft, and this is one of the stronger offensive linemen drafts that we've seen in a long time. A player of his caliber that moves people and does things at the NFL level with his size, his ability to bend and be able to play inside and outside makes him attractive and makes for a competitive room."
- Seventh-round pick Nathan Thomas: "The kind of player that they are getting is someone who is going to war every day, who is going to do a job, who is going to succeed no matter what and who's is going to get on the field and play with aggression, tenacity, and knack. Overall, I am coming in there to dominate and meet the expectations and exceed them. That is the type of player that they getting and I'm just glad that they were willing to give me this opportunity to show them.
