"I felt like that was a blessing that I received because it had been a long year for me," Thomas said. "I finally got here, took the opportunity and rolled with it. I just wanted to learn as soon as I could. My plan here was to learn the defense as fast as I can."

One other area of his anatomy Thomas gained a better understanding of through a slew of medical tests was an irregular stomach condition, which resulted in frequent bouts with reflux.

Doctors wondered if it might have been due to a bacterial infection of some sort, but that didn't make sense to Thomas. An admitted "OCD clean freak," Thomas keeps a tidy house and won't eat anything without washing his hands first.

Finally, Thomas got his answer.

"Basically my stomach is like if you squeeze a water balloon in the middle," said Thomas, touching his index finger and thumb together to illustrate the narrow space. "That's how it is."

With all this new information in the wake of his anemia diagnosis and personal epiphany, Thomas made the decision after the 2017 season to become a vegetarian.

While Thomas didn't know of any vegetarians currently playing in the NFL, he discovered former Arizona defensive end David Carter became a vegan during his career to combat tendinitis.

Thomas immediately felt the benefits of a plant-based diet, which improved his digestion and reduced stomach inflammation since his body no longer was processing more difficult-to-digest red meat. Cognizant of maintaining a well-balanced diet with fiber- and iron-rich foods, Thomas began to enjoy a more restful sleep.

The trickiest part for Thomas was he also needed to put on weight this offseason to complete his transition to linebacker. Historically, that's never been an issue for Thomas, who weighed as much as 227 pounds at Oklahoma.

Staying in Green Bay for the entire offseason, Thomas put together a plan with Packers director of performance nutrition Adam Korzun to help make it happen.

"I told him about the decision I wanted to make without eating meat, so he just got me on the plan," Thomas said. "There's a lot of vegetarian burgers back there, a lot of vegetarian food. They have what I eat prepared for me, and I go pick it up and eat it."

At night, Thomas would carbo-load to prepare his body for morning workouts. Steering clear of most sugary fruits, he drank vegan protein shakes and filled his lunch and dinner plate with as many vegetables as it would hold.

His adopted mom, Marvice Thomas, often asked Ahmad how he does it. "Health is wealth to me," Thomas said. "I'm not easily influenced when it isn't something I stand for."

Thomas hit his target, reporting to camp looking like the 232-pound inside linebacker who ate the former four-star recruit. He still leans heavily on that past experience as a safety, though.