Joe Thomas

Ht: 6-8 Wt: 303

Position: OT

Date of Birth: 12/4/1984

Birthplace: Brookfield, WI

Class: Junior

High School: Central HS

(Brookfield, WI)

College: Wisconsin

Cleveland Browns-Joe Thomas-OT-Wisconsin

The breakdown: Most people crowned Joe Thomas as the best offensive lineman in this class, just ahead of Penn State’s Levi Brown. I am higher on Levi Brown than Joe Thomas, but that is more of a credit to Brown than it is a discredit to Thomas. That’s not to say that I don’t think Joe Thomas is going to be good, I am just not sure if he can become the franchise type of tackle that warrants a top 5 pick. The biggest problem I have with Thomas is something that he cannot control; he lacks one of the physical traits that you look for in a tackle, more specifically long arms: his arms are only 32 inches long. That being said, Cleveland desperately needed help on the offensive line and if Phil Savage feels like Joe Thomas is his guy, then I agree with the pick. Thomas is remarkably athletic for somebody his size and runs a 5.0-40 yard dash time. Wisconsin even used him as a tight end in goal-line situations and as a defensive lineman early on in his career. The Badgers are a school that is very tradition rich in producing some of the best offensive linemen in college football and people have said that Thomas is the most dominant blocker to wear a Wisconsin uniform since Paul Gruber(’85-87). I think Thomas’s versatility and athleticism will help him tremendously on the next level and I think he’ll be solid, but certainly not all-pro. It was a good pick for the Browns, but I would’ve picked Levi Brown instead of Joe Thomas.

My rating: 7/10

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