Cleveland Browns NFL Draft Profile: Cameron Thomas, DL San Diego State
The 2022 NFL Draft is fast approaching, and the Cleveland Browns will need to address the EDGE position. Cameron Thomas out of San Diego State is an option who provides an uncommon physical profile that could be very intriguing to the team.
Thomas is one of the most productive players in the class. In 2021 alone, he totaled 71 tackles, 20.5 tackles for loss, 10.5 sacks, and led the country in QB hits with 21. Pro Football Focus graded at an 89.4 overall, 86.8 run defense, and 89.3 pass-rush, with his 77 pressures placing second to only Alabama's Will Anderson, who will likely be the first defensive player off the board next year.
Cameron Thomas Relative Athletic Score
At 6-4 267 pounds, Thomas has excellent size for the position and presents a stark physical contrast to other EDGE prospects in this class who are less than 250 pounds.
Thomas's explosion testing wasn't anything to write home about, but his get-off on tape is very good and often surprised guards, enabling him to more than make up for his short arms.
The most impressive part of his testing was his performance in the agility drills, where he put up excellent marks. Thomas is very light on his feet, especially for a player nearly 270 pounds. His shuttle time was better than Travon Walker's, and ran a faster three-cone than Nik Bonitto. Now, Thomas doesn't appear to have a whole lot of bend, but that agility is still very useful in turning corners and avoiding blocks, especially when he's lined up inside.
Thomas has rushed from a wide variety of alignments and stances, playing all along the defensive line for the Aztecs, anywhere from facing up the center to a standup outside linebacker dropping into coverage. That versatility was very valuable in college, and it certainly could be in the NFL, but there is a fine line between versatility and being a tweener, and that is a concern.
If a player can't consistently win around the edge, it's hard for him to have success as an end, and the examples of Thomas showing bend or winning with an outside move and running the arc are few. He's also just too slight to play on the inside full time, and needs to add strength to hold up better against the run.
The Browns definitely seem to want a bigger, stronger type playing opposite of Myles Garrett, and Thomas would theoretically fit that description. There is a question of whether or not Thomas is best suited to play a strongside role, as despite his size, he won in college because of his superior quickness. Perhaps there are teams who would prefer he lost some weight in hopes of gaining some more outside ability. As Thomas may soon find out, sometimes a player's versatility can quickly go from a blessing to a curse, and it could be better to give him a single role to work at, both physically and tehnically, for right now.
It's unlikely that Thomas would be under consideration at pick #44, but if he's on the board at #78 in the third round, the Browns would do well to add an unusual talent to the defensive line, especially if they are able to bring him along slowly.
