It seemed wild that a player with the production that Isaiah Thomas had over his final two seasons with Oklahoma would slip to the seventh round, but that was the case for several OU defenders over the last several years.
Over his final two seasons, Thomas had 14.5 sacks and 22.5 tackles for loss, but fell to the seventh round. Ultimately, he was selected by the Cleveland Browns who may have gotten one of the steals of the 2022 NFL draft.
Although it’s only preseason, Isaiah Thomas had a dominant first outing against the Jacksonville Jaguars, filling up the stat book with two sacks, three stops, and added a QB hurry. For his efforts, he was included in Touchdown Wire’s “Secret Superstars” for week one by Doug Farrar.
The Browns are still trying to figure out the optimal edge defender — or combination of edge defenders — to bookend All-World pass-rusher Myles Garrett. Thomas, the seventh-round rookie out of Oklahoma, made his case in rather definitive fashion against the Jaguars. Thomas had two sacks, a quarterback hurry, and three stops, and he impressed with speed and heavy hands along the formation. At 6-foot-4 and 266 pounds, Thomas brings some nice gap versatility to the table. – Farrar, Touchdown Wire
If the early returns for Thomas continue throughout the preseason, there’s a good chance he earns a significant role for the Cleveland Browns in his rookie season. With the versatility to play in both three and four-down alignments and bump inside in pass-rushing situations, Thomas can be a valuable piece to any defensive depth chart.
So far, he’s proving that value on the gridiron in his first season in the NFL.
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