I’ve previously covered likely first round WR picks Corey Coleman, Josh Doctson and Laquon Treadwell, in addition to taking a look at slot WRs Sterling Shepard and Braxton Miller, and Mike Randall has highlighted some of the potential mid-round WR sleepers. In this article, I’m going to wrap up my work on WRs by addressing two more prospects that profile best as complimentary pieces in an NFL offense: Tyler Boyd of Pittsburgh and Michael Thomas of Ohio State. While Boyd and Thomas are not very similar from a physical or even production stand-point, they both have a lot potential if they land in the right fit.
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Michael Thomas has the size and athleticism to be a prototypical split-end in the NFL at 6’3”, 212 pounds, but he lacks some of the traits I look for in a bona-fide WR1. To be fair he has played in a run-first offense and dealt with below average QBs at Ohio State. Still, he hasn’t shown the ability to be the consistent go-to guy in my opinion due to some limitations that I will cover.
Where Thomas excels is in his route-running ability. In this first clip he absolutely torches potential first round CB Kendall Fuller with a stutter step and go route.
He also uses his large frame to shield away defenders and uses his body well to set up DBs. In this second clip, you can see Thomas (WR on the left) use a subtle body lean to create separation on a post route. The ball goes elsewhere on this play, but Thomas was wide open for a probable TD.
We see similar prowess in route-running in this next clip, resulting in an easy pitch and catch, but we also see a disturbing trend that crops up in Thomas’ tape where he frequently lets the ball into his body instead of attacking it away from his frame.
Here is another example of Thomas letting the ball into his body even though it is thrown at chest level where he should be able to make a much cleaner catch. He is able to secure the ball and turn upfield, but in tighter coverage this catching technique can become problematic.
When asked here to make a catch along the boundary on a back-shoulder throw, he isn’t able to come down with the ball. It wasn’t a great throw, but he had his hands on the ball and could have made the catch with better technique.
I think there are a number of strengths to Thomas’ game. He is a very polished route runner and has deceptive speed for a larger WR. He is very capable of making plays after the catch as seen below and is not afraid of making catches across the middle of the field.
However, Thomas has some issues with catching the ball away from his frame and struggles at times on contested catches/jump balls. As a bigger WR, I would like to see him attack and high-point the ball more consistently. For these reasons, I see Thomas as a quality WR2 in the NFL. He is best served as intermediate route runner who excels on routes over the middle where he can pick up yards after the catch. I could see him working at the flanker position in an NFL offense or as a “power slot” option in the mold of Marques Colston or more recently Jordan Matthews.
Tyler Boyd does not have the physical size or athleticism of Michael Thomas which may limit his upside, but he does possess some impressive traits which will serve him well in the NFL. Boyd doesn’t have great speed as evidenced by his 4.58 40 time, but he does have decent quickness (6.90 3C drill), and I think this shows up on film as the term “quicker than fast” really applies well to him.
First let’s talk about the positives with Boyd. He put up incredible, record-setting numbers at Pitt, catching 254 balls for 3,361 yards over 3 years. While I tend to take college production with a grain of salt, it does demonstrate an impressive level of ability. He’s a very good route runner, and his body control and catch radius are exceptional. A couple good examples of his route running, field awareness and body control can be seen below.
Boyd played in an offense at Pitt that did not have very many weapons outside of him, and they really tried to get him the ball in as many ways possible whether it be hand-offs, screens or passing downfield. There’s good reason for this because when you watch Boyd with the ball in his hands, he is a very impactful playmaker, in many ways reminiscent of a player I discussed earlier – Braxton Miller.
The biggest weakness for Boyd is probably his lack of speed. He doesn’t consistently separate in man coverage and he will never be a great vertical threat. On this seam route, a linebacker is able to run stride for stride with him, and Boyd is not able to create much separation.
Similar to Thomas, Boyd will be best suited playing the flanker position or working out of the slot. Playing him off the LOS will help Boyd get clean releases in space where he can make plays after the catch and work the intermediate routes. Boyd is very good along the boundaries where his body control and excellent hands allow him to make tough timing-based catches on comeback, back-shoulder and out routes.
Both Thomas and Boyd will play significant roles in the NFL, but are best served as a #2 option. Given Thomas’ size and athleticism, he may be a player that finds his name called on day one of the NFL draft, but he could easily slide into the early second round where he would be an interesting option for the Ravens. Boyd is also likely to be drafted in the second round and he would be a great fit for a team that already has an established WR1 on the team. The Ravens could be a landing spot for Boyd as he would be a nice replacement for the role Steve Smith and Kamar Aiken have held as possession type WRs. Both players are NFL ready, and will immediately inject some young play-making talent into an offense.
Ravens Analyst
Gabe is an avid fan of the NFL and Ravens football. He grew up in Westminster, MD, and attended college at Johns Hopkins University majoring in Biology. He earned his Ph.D. in Molecular Biology from the University of California, Los Angeles, and now works as a R&D Scientist developing Transplant Diagnostics assays. Gabe has appeared as a guest on 105.7 The Fan.