EUGENE, OR - SEPTEMBER 08: Colt Lyerla #16 of University of Oregon Ducks runs past Tristan Okpalaugo #88 and Phillip Thomas #16 both of Fresno State Bulldogs during the first half of the game at Autzen Stadium on September 8, 2012 in Eugene, Oregon. (Photo by Kevin Casey/Getty Images) Phillip Thomas (credit: Kevin Casey/Getty Images)

Phillip Thomas thinks he’d be a good fit for the Washington Redskins. In fact, after a meeting with team officials that included head coach Mike Shanahan last Wednesday, the safety says the similarity between the Redskins defensive scheme and the one at Fresno State is uncanny.

Although Thomas says the meeting last week was “just an interview,” a key question he raised could help significantly reduce the strain of his transition from a collegiate to pro career — provided the chips fall in place.

“I asked them how I would fit their scheme,” he told Holden Kushner and Danny Rouhier on 106.7 The FAN. “It’s crazy. They run exactly the same scheme that I ran in college.”

It would be a perfect transition for the man whose eight interceptions were most in the nation last season.

“I’m familiar with all that stuff that they do,” Thomas said. “It was kind of crazy. Kind of unique that I would walk in and it would be like that.”

Although he’s quick to admit flaws within his game, most notably open field tackling, the 6-foot, 210-pound Thomas is not lacking in confidence.

“I’m a playmaker,” he said. “I’m a game changing type of player. I’m always around the ball and I cause a lot of turnovers. What team wouldn’t want that?”

Don’t let the confidence detour your opinion. He says he’s looking forward to shore up the open-field tackling issues that plagued his senior season.

Thomas is a projected second-round selection. Whether he is still available when the Redskins make the 22nd pick of that round is another question altogether.

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