Joe Thomas and the Lions

I was wondering if anyone knew why Joe Thomas is going to the Lions in every mock draft. Is it because they need a lineman that bad or is he to good to pass up?

I've never heard of him. But then, I haven't paid that much attention so far.

I'd say it's a safe assumption that the Lions are going for a quarterback. Russell and/or Quinn will prove too attractive for Millen to pass up. And we know he loves drafting the skill positions on offense in the top ten.

i think they want to draft him because thy see him as the next great franchise tackle.

personally i have no idea how he plays.

is he related to dave thomas?

he was an o lineman for wisco, he won the outland trophy this year for being the best college interior lineman, frankly i think dan mozes of WVU got the shaft on that award, all you have to do is look at wv's rushing numbers to realize we had an amazing o line.... anywho heres a scouts take on joe thomas:

Strengths: Possesses excellent height, big hands and adequate bulk. Still has room to add weight to his frame. He is extremely agile and athletic, especially for such a tall lineman. He displays good upper-body power and a powerful hand punch. Exceptional when asked to protect the quarterback's blindside. Gets set quickly in pass pro and stays very much under control. Rarely loses to speed off the edge. Stays balanced and shows the lateral mobility to work back inside versus athletic double moves. He takes solid angles as a run blocker and general gets very good positioning. He has become feistier with more experience and continues to improve his consistency when it comes to sustaining blocks.

Weaknesses: Despite a smooth recovery, there's still concern regarding long-term durability as a result of 2006 knee surgery. He lacks ideal lower-body bulk and strength. Plays with a narrow base at times and is susceptible to a powerful bull rush. He's not an overpowering run blocker and he can be a bit of a "finesse" blocker at times. Also, his arms are not as long as his massive frame would indicate.

Overall: Thomas played in 10 games as a true freshman in 2003, nine of which were as a blocking tight end before he switched over to defensive end for the Music City Bowl vs. Auburn. He took over as Wisconsin's starter at left tackle for the entire 2004 season (12 games). In 2005, Thomas once again started every game (13) for the Badgers at left tackle, earning consensus First Team All-Big Ten honors and several All-American recognitions. However, he did suffer a torn left ACL while filling in along the defensive line during Wisconsin's Capital One Bowl victory over Auburn. Thomas had off-season surgery and missed 2006 spring practice while rehabilitating. Just months removed from off-season knee surgery, Thomas looked a bit mechanical and seemed to lack confidence early in the 2006 season. However, he made huge strides as the season progressed and was fully returned to form by midseason. Thomas possesses an ideal combination of size, athleticism and upper-body power, which is why he projects as a future perennial starter at left tackle in the NFL. In our opinion, Thomas ranks as one of the elite prospects in the 2007 class and he should be off the board within the top-five overall selections.

Weaknesses: Despite a smooth recovery, there's still concern regarding long-term durability as a result of 2006 knee surgery. He lacks ideal lower-body bulk and strength. Plays with a narrow base at times and is susceptible to a powerful bull rush. He's not an overpowering run blocker and he can be a bit of a "finesse" blocker at times. Also, his arms are not as long as his massive frame would indicate ... However, he did suffer a torn left ACL while filling in along the defensive line during Wisconsin's Capital One Bowl victory over Auburn. Thomas had off-season surgery and missed 2006 spring practice while rehabilitating.

I always thought that a knee injury on the level of a torn ACL was enough to get you knocked out of the first round.

Dude must really be good to be that entrenched in the top five.

i think they want to draft him because thy see him as the next great franchise tackle.

personally i have no idea how he plays.

The draft is such a crap shoot. Didn't we read the same thing about Robert "how do you block?" Gallery a couple years ago? The only way to succeed in the draft is to have the best scouts you can get and a lot of them so you can look at as many prospects as possible and then get as many draft picks as possible. The more shots in the dark you take, the more likely you are to hit something. A strategy our front office seems to not understand.

Don't mean to hijack but I have come around to the "draft young players" theory. I think obtaining a guy or two in FA is fine as part of a building a team, but I think the trading "away" of draft choices is almost always going to be a mistake. Particularly for RFA's. Has any of them panned out for us? All I can think of is Morton, Coles and, of course, LLoyd.

I like both Cooley and Campbell, players for whom we traded future picks, but
who is to say that, if we had stood pat, we would have a couple of extra players who might be starters or solid role players? As for the QB, we could have traded down our No. 1 in 2006 and still have gotten Kelley Clemons AND extra picks. Cooley? who knows - it's not a hard and fast rule, and, again, if we found ways to accumulate more picks, maybe we would have more flexibility to trade into Cooley type picks.

sigh. sorry for the rant and hijack.

Please continue with your Joe Thomas thread (not to be confused with "The Dockery Thread")

gallery was a can't miss #2 overall pick... oops.

he's easily the best OL guy this draft (so say kiper et al), but i haven't really seen him. I know ben grubbs (OG auburn) will be a stud though.