Jordan Thomas, a 2014 three-star recruit, started 37 of 50 career games at Oklahoma.

As a senior, Jordan Thomas he primarily lined up at right cornerback in the Sooners 3-4 defense. He missed regular season games against TCU and Kansas in 2017 due to knee and ankle injuries. He would not regain his starting job.

Thomas had multiple disciplinary issues early in his college career. He was suspended twice as a sophomore for undisclosed reasons and was arrested for failing to appear in traffic court in December 2015. The following summer he was arrested for public intoxication and assault and battery after a bar fight.

Thomas was most productive as a sophomore and junior when he intercepted seven passes and broke up 21 over a 25-game stretch. He would be named second-team all-Big 12 in 2015 and first-team in 2016. His production declined in 2017 as he recorded just one interception and two pass breakups. For his career, he recorded 154 tackles, eight interceptions and 28 pass breakups. He played for two head coaches and one defensive coordinator during his college career.

Thomas earned an invitation to the Scouting Combine where he broke the record for fastest three-cone drill with a time of 6.28 seconds. He possesses adequate size and good length on a thin frame with very good athletic ability.

Measurables

Height: 6’0” 1/8

Weight: 187 lbs.

Arm: 32 inches

Hand: 9-1/2 inches

Combine Workout

40-Yard Dash: 4.64 seconds

10-Yard Split: 1.57 seconds

Bench Press: 4 reps

Vertical Jump: 38 inches

Broad Jump: 10’4”

3-Cone Drill: 6.28 seconds

Short Shuttle: 3.94 seconds

Strengths

From press coverage, Jordan Thomas delivers an aggressive punch at the line of scrimmage. From off, he displays good angular body position which allows for a smooth transition from his backpedal to a plant and drive. He possesses very good agility and fluid hips to change directions quickly.

On this play against Texas, Thomas is lined up as the right cornerback on the outside. The receiver fakes a slant route before turning back towards the sideline. Thomas maintains good posture and is able to turn his hips and stay close to the receiver. Mirroring the route, in addition to good closing speed, forces the quarterback to come off his first read and look to throw the football elsewhere.

Thomas possesses very good mental processing skills as he utilizes his instincts to read the play react quickly. Two examples of this can be seen below. In the first example, Thomas recognizes the screen immediately and bursts into the backfield to make the stop for a loss.

In the second play, Thomas comes off his man after identifying the ball going to the receiver in the slot on an out route. After passing off his receiver, Thomas explodes to the point of attack and delivers a blow to separate the ball from the receiver.

As seen in the play against Iowa State, Thomas displays good range as he takes solid angles to the ball while utilizing his short-area quickness and length to make a play. When the ball is in the air, he gets his head around quickly and tracks well. He displays good leaping ability and solid hands to break up the pass.

In the run game, he demonstrates solid closing speed as he attacks the ball carrier downhill.

Weaknesses

When pressing, Jordan Thomas does not possess the strength to jam the receiver at the line of scrimmage and throw off the timing of the route. Marginal long speed hampers his ability to mirror a receiver closely when plays are extended. Once beaten, he struggles to recover as a result of adequate play speed.

Play strength and play speed are two of the biggest weaknesses of Thomas and both showed up on this rep against the bigger, more physical Allen Lazard of Iowa State. Thomas attempts an off-balance jam on Lazard and ends up stumbling against the wideout. He’s unable to recover in time, resulting in a long game-winning touchdown pass.

As a run defender, Thomas takes adequate angles to the running back and is easily lost in traffic. When blocked, he struggles to disengage, allowing the ball carrier to get around the edge. That’s exactly what happens on this play against Houston. The Cougars throw a backward pass to the running back to Thomas’s side of the field. The corner can’t disengage and is easily controlled by the receiver blocking. Thomas can’t protect the edge and once the running back gets by, is thrown out of bounds.

In the open field, Thomas is an adequate tackler.

Overall

Overall, Jordan Thomas is a developmental nickelback at the next level who wins with instincts and short-area quickness. He’s not someone who possesses the play strength to match up against physical receivers on the outside. Thomas is best suited to play in zone coverage where he can sit down in a zone and keep his eyes in the backfield as he doesn’t have the play strength or speed to lock down a receiver one-on-one.

Thomas will have to answer to multiple on and off-the-field questions. The off-the-field issues are well documented, but NFL teams will also question his competitive toughness. He couldn’t regain his starting spot from a true freshman while Oklahoma was in the middle of a playoff run. Over the last five games of his career, Thomas was primarily a special teams player.

When it comes to the 2018 NFL Draft, teams will have to determine whether or not Thomas can regain his 2015-2016 form. If so, he warrants a late-round selection. If not, he’ll be an undrafted free agent.