Portland State tight end
Julius Thomas was selected in the fourth round of the National Football League draft on Saturday, making him the highest-selected Viking since quarterback Neil Lomax was picked in the second round by the St. Louis Cardinals in 1980.
Thomas, who made his name as a basketball player over four years at Portland State, got the most out of one season of football for the Vikings. After not playing the game since his freshman year of high school, Thomas played the 2010 season at PSU, earning a prominent role as a tight end.
In his only season on the gridiron, the 6-5, 246-pound Thomas caught 29 passes for 453 yards and two touchdowns. He was named first team All-Big Sky Conference. Thomas caught the eye of NFL scouts early in the season with his raw athleticism, good hands, smarts and toughness. After the season, Thomas played in the East-West Shrine game, catching a touchdown pass and two-point conversion. He was also selected to participate in the NFL Combine in late February.
A native of Stockon, CA, Thomas was projected to be picked somewhere between the fifth and seventh rounds of the draft. His selection is the first for a Viking since linebacker Adam Hayward was taken by Tampa Bay in the sixth round of the 2007 NFL Draft. Thomas was the 129th player taken in the 2011 draft.
Thomas joins Hayward and Beaverton's Jordan Senn (LB, Carolina) and Reggie Jones (CB, Washington) and Shaun Bodiford (WR, Oakland) as the other Vikings on NFL rosters.
"All the people that encouraged me to play football expressed that I have the ability, build and athleticism to play that would transition to the tight end position," Thomas said at the 2011 NFL Scouting Combine. "Our head coach thought I could do it, it was just a matter of commitment and hard work. It was the plan from the beginning and they stayed on top of me all year trying to prepare me for the next level."
Thomas said that assistant coaches at the combine told him he has all the ability, but he has a long way to go to reach his potential in the NFL.
"I think that is something teams are excited to hear about," he said. "I haven't really tapped out my potential."
The tight end said he knew football was his calling when he would wake up early every day halfway through spring practice and think about all the things he couldn't wait to learn and improve upon.
The newest Bronco mentioned Shannon Sharpe as one of the players he admired as a child.
"On the football field, I really like guys like Andre Johnson -- somebody that is really skilled at what they do," he said. "Obviously I look to guys that are my type, like height and weight. Shannon Sharpe when I was growing up, and Tony Gonzalez."
ESPN's take on Thomas joining the Broncos: This is an interesting position of need for the Broncos and this could be a nice fit. Starter Daniel Graham and backup Richard Quinn are primarily blockers and they are not much blockers in the passing game. The Broncos also have a couple of other young guys who are developmental but Thomas is a guy who they hope to develop into a pass-catching guy they can use in space.
Denver Broncos 2011 NFL Draft Quotes from Julius Thomas Conference Call, 4/30/11
On the transition from basketball to football
“Football was something I was really passionate about when I was growing up. I ended up spending some time playing basketball and got away from it, and I never really had that chance to get back into it. When the opportunity came, it was something that I really jumped for. When I came out in the spring, it was a little difficult at first—transitioning from basketball to football—but it was something I was excited about, and I felt that I could be successful with it. As the season went on, I started to learn more and more, and the game became my life. I've been so happy ever since, playing football, and I'm just really excited to really get this thing going.”
On walking on to the football team
“Originally I walked on. When I was a freshman, I wanted to play both sports, but they told me then—my basketball head coach—told me not to play football, but they told me that if I had a redshirt left at the end of my four years of basketball that I could use that to play football. It was kind of something I was looking forward to all throughout college, and when the new head coach got hired, Coach (Nigel) Burton, I jumped at the opportunity. I went to his office and I told him around December that I was looking to play football in the spring, and he told me he would love to have me out there.”
On the difficulties of transitioning from basketball to football
“One of the most difficult things at first was going from being a veteran at what you do—I was a four-year basketball player, senior captain, so there was really nothing that could come my way that I didn't anticipate. Going and being brand new at something, it's frustrating at times being the freshman out there—or the young guy— and having to react to things that I didn't know to anticipate. That was probably one of the hardest things, learning to play lower. Football is a game that is played lower to the ground than basketball is, so working on leverage, especially for somebody at my height, was something that I had to concentrate on.”
On being compared to TE Antonio Gates
“Besides the fact that he played basketball, he is a great tight end. He is a guy that you can study and really start to model some of the things you do after. I take it as an honor to be included in the same sentence as a lot of guys who have played basketball and transitioned to football and done well. That's a standard that I want to hold for myself, being successful in making that transition. Being compared to Antonio Gates is a great start for me. I'm going to go ahead and work as hard as I can to make that comparison as similar as possible.”
On how he might fit into the Broncos' system
“I haven't really spoken with them about my role, but some things that I'm really going to have to focus one is to really just learn the different things that you are going to need to do in the NFL. It's a more complicated game coming from the scheme we played in college to the scheme in the NFL, so that's going to be my main focus early on, just learning and making sure I have everything down; and then, some of the technique things that I haven't had as much experience with as some of the other guys have because I've only been playing for a year. I'll get with (Tight Ends) Coach (Clancy) Barone, and we'll start working on the technique things we need to address immediately. I'm pretty sure we'll have a plan, and we'll go about it.”
On his high school position
“I played strong safety and wide receiver. That's when I actually went out for the team, but I didn't end up playing that season.”
On how his basketball background has helped him play football
“One of the things that I think really helps me is anticipating things quickly, and when you play basketball, you're required to anticipate at the drop of a dime. You learn certain things, and it gives defenders a look. We're used to setting guys up, getting open and working with body contact, and I think those things really help you become a natural person, and it gives you natural passing lanes for the quarterback.”
On the East-West Shrine Game
“That was huge. Coming from Portland State, a Division 1-AA (FCS) school, and not having much experience with the game, a lot of teams had question marks. 'What can he do against top-level competition?' Also, it gave me three months to prepare for it. I grew a lot from my last college game to that shrine game, and I think it showed. It really allowed teams to see how I compete against some of the best talent and how far I came in those three months and how much I've learned in that time. I think it really put me on the radar for teams and let them know that I was a serious that they should start looking in to.”
On his workouts with the Broncos
“I probably talked to the Broncos more than I talked to any team. Coach Barone came and worked me out at Portland State. We had a great workout, a great meeting, and that was really my favorite meeting with any of the teams. I talked with Coach (Clancy) Barone several times after that and expressed to him how much I enjoyed that meeting and how I felt that if we happen to get together that it would be a great fit for myself. I think that he's a coach that the way he thinks (about) the game is exactly the way I think, and I feel like he is going to be great at helping me understand what is expected of me. That's all you can ask for.”
On whether he thought the Broncos would draft him
“I was hoping; you're never sure who's going to take you. You try not to get your hopes up too much, but when people ask what team I hoped to play for, it was definitely the Broncos, and I had my fingers crossed, and I was praying I would be a Denver Bronco next year. I'm excited. This is all I asked for.
Other drafted Portland State Vikings
Tim Von Dulm, 12th round, 1970, St. Louis Cardinals
Charlie Stoudamire, 7th round, 1971, Detroit Lions
Dave Stief, 7th round, 1978, St. Louis Cardinals
Neil Lomax, 2nd round, 1980, St. Louis Cardinals
Clint Didier, 12th round, 1981, Washington Redskins
Tracey Eaton, 7th round, 1988, Houston Oilers
Ted Popson, 11th round, 1991, NY Giants
James Fuller, 8th round, 1992, San Diego Chargers
Darick Holmes, 7th round, 1995, Buffalo Bills
Paul Bradford, 5th round, 1997, San Diego Chargers
Terry Charles, 5th round, 2002, San Diego Chargers
Adam Hayward, 6th round, 2007, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Julius Thomas
TE • 6-5 • 246 • Stockton, CA (Tokay HS)
A four-year letterwinner in basketball, he walked on with the football team in spring 2010… so impressed the coaching staff that he became a primary offensive weapon in 2010... excellent size and athleticism… outstanding speed as a tight end, he spent a lot of time split wide in the formation… as he develops more size and strength will be even more effective… played one season of football in high school before focusing on his basketball career… that resulted in a full basketball scholarship at Portland State.
SENIOR SEASON • 2010
Played in all 11 games for the Vikings in his first football action since his freshman year in high school… caught 29 passes for 453 yards and two touchdowns in a run-heavy offense… named first team All-Big Sky Conference at the end of the season… also proved to be an excellent blocker despite his relative inexperience and lack of bulk… became an avid film watcher in the coaches offices to improve his game… opened his career with two catches for 20 yards at Arizona State (9/4)… had four receptions for 48 yards against Oregon (9/18)… caught two passes for 56 yards in the win over Idaho State (10/2)… had seven receptions for 143 yards and a 55-yard touchdown against Big Sky Champion Montana State (10/9)… made four receptions for 102 yards and a 39-yard touchdown at Weber State (10/23)… three catches for 38 yards against Northern Colorado… played in the East-West Shrine Game, catching a touchdown pass and two-point conversion… also participated in the NFL Combine.
PORTLAND STATE BASKETBALL CAREER
Familiar to Viking fans for a different reason - he starred on the Viking basketball team for four seasons... set school records for career games played (121), career wins (78), career field goals percentage (.663)... also participated on two Big Sky Champion teams and two NCAA Tournaments (2008 and 2009)... twice named to the Big Sky All-Tournament team... made game-winning dunk with 3.5 seconds left to play in beating Montana State for the 2009 Big Sky Tournament Championship... averaged 10.8 points, 5.9 rebounds and and shot a school-record .671 from the field as a senior.
PERSONAL INFORMATION
Son of Greg and Toria Thomas... born June 27, 1988... brothers are Trenton and Marcus... earned his degree in Business Administration... hobbies are hanging out with friends, reading and basketball.
