Film Room: Notre Dame WR Target Jayden Thomas
Notre Dame has made a push for a number of top receivers in the 2021 class, and one player the staff has been on for some time is Atlanta (Ga.) Pace Academy standout Jayden Thomas. The top Irish target is making his decision on Friday, Oct. 2, and Notre Dame is in great shape when his ultimate decision is announced.
Before he makes his decision let’s dive into his film.
JAYDEN THOMAS, WR, 6-1, 205, ATHENS (GA.) ACADEMY
Recruiting Rankings
Rivals: 4-star - No. 195 overall
ESPN: 4-star - No. 218 overall
247Sports: 3-star
Composite: 4-star - No. 260 overall
IB Grade: 4.0 (Top 250 caliber player)
Upside Grade: 4.0
Offers: Alabama, Ohio State, Georgia, Florida, LSU, Penn State, Miami (Fla.), Michigan, Tennessee, Florida State, Nebraska, North Carolina, Purdue, Mississippi State, South Carolina, Virginia Tech, Missouri, Arkansas, Virginia, Indiana, Georgia Tech, Vanderbilt
FILM BREAKDOWN
SIZE-FRAME-STRENGTH — Thomas has good size at 6-1 and 205 pounds, but he’s a strong athlete with very long arms. That length gives him a much wider catch radius than your typical 6-1 athlete. Thomas is a well-built mature athlete that possesses top-notch physical strength.
Thomas knows how to use every bit of his size, length and strength as a route runner, pass catcher, blocker and after the catch. Thomas has the potential to be an elite blocker at the next level as both a field player and boundary receiver.
SPEED — The one trait that drags Thomas’s overall grade down a bit is his speed. Thomas lacks burner speed, and he doesn’t have the kind of acceleration that will intimidate defenses. He was timed at 4.63 at the Nike Football The Opening prior to his junior season, and thus far his speed hasn’t really seen an uptick.
Thomas gets off the line well and shows a good burst off the snap. He is a long strider that can make big plays, but he will need to work on improving his burst out of his out cuts and stop cuts as a route runner.
ATHLETIC SKILLS — While Thomas lacks top-notch speed, he is a quality all-around athlete, both as a wide receiver and a baseball player. He isn’t overly sudden, but Thomas is a smooth and fluid athlete that gets to full speed relatively quickly.
His strength and body combines well with his athletic skills, especially his balance. Thomas is hard to bring down in space, and he’s able to run through arm tackles with ease. The Pace star shows good open-field quickness, which combines with good vision to make him more effective after the catch than one would think a player with his size and lack of speed would be.
You can see that from Thomas as a punt returner and pass catcher, but for Pace you can also see it when he’s lined up in a wildcat look. Thomas shows the ability to see a crease and quickly attack it, and when he gets a step he uses his power to maximize the available yards.
ROUTE RUNNING — This is where Thomas truly excels; the Pace wideout is an advanced route runner that really knows how to play the game. I was actually surprised to learn this when I first put on his film. Thomas is a two-sport star that wants to play baseball in college, and two-sport athletes are rarely advanced technicians due to their practice time being split between two sports. Thomas, however, is the exception to that rule, and his feel for the game is outstanding.
Thomas uses his hands and strength effectively to get off press coverage, and his body makes him hard to re-route. His ability to quickly get off press coverage and get into his route is just the beginning of his acumen as a route runner. Thomas will only improve this part of his game as he gets stronger and continues enhancing his hand play and footwork.
Thomas knows how to manipulate defenders, and his top ends are excellent. He’s fluid and smooth out of breaks as well, skills that allow him to play faster than his natural speed should otherwise allow. He sinks his hips effectively and has become a very efficient route runner, which is key to excelling in this area.
BALL SKILLS — Thomas catches the ball well and shows the ability to win contested throws, thanks to his length and strength. He gets off the ground quickly, which combines with his length to overcome Thomas not being a great leaper. At times he’ll body catch more than I like, but he tracks the ball extremely well and knows how to use his body to shield defenders.
INTANGIBLES — Thomas is certainly one of those “Notre Dame fit” kind of young men. High character, hard worker, intelligent, academically oriented. My biggest concern with him as a prospect is the time he’s missed with different injuries. He missed a chunk of his junior season and he injured his toe during fall camp.
Those injuries have kept Thomas from having the kind of high level production a player of his skill should otherwise be putting up. He is a two-way player that is also a quality safety for Pace, and my affinity for two-way players should be well known by now.
FINAL ANALYSIS
Thomas is one of those prospects that you look and recognize he lacks any truly elite physical traits, but he also has no glaring holes. While he lacks top level speed, it’s good enough, and he knows how to maximize it. He’s a quality athlete with good size and strength, and he’s a very fundamentally sound football player.
Thomas is what I call a high-floor player due to those traits, his athletic skills and his size. He’s a legit four-star, Top 250 caliber football player.
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